Chapter 84: The True King's Gambit

This is not a charity event anymore.

This is a war.

The Crown Prince is apoplectic. He is on his feet, screaming at Kenichi, who is desperately trying to calm him. "He is defying me! Publicly!"

But it is too late. The feed is live. And Hiroto, after a moment of stunned silence, has grabbed a backup microphone.

"YOU HEARD IT, FOLKS!" Hiroto screams, his actor instincts taking over. "THIS IS IT! THE REAL DEAL! THE UNSCRIPTED SHOWDOWN! PRINCE VERSUS KING! FOR PRIDE! FOR HONOR!"

Fuji and Daiki do not hear him. They are in the zone.

Fuji switches characters. He is no longer using the "joke." He picks his real main. A cold, calculating, defensive "Ice" character. (Of course.)

Daiki grins.

"Final Round! FIGHT!"

What happens next... is not a game.

It is art.

It is a battle of ideologies.

Fuji is perfect. His defense is a flawless wall of ice. He waits. He calculates. He punishes. Every move is logic.

Daiki is chaos. He is passion. Aggression. He is all instinct. He never stops attacking, throwing risky moves that should not work, but do.

It is the Ice Prince versus the Angry Gamer.

The crowd is screaming. My dad is on his feet. "His frame data! It is perfect!" he is yelling.

Toujo is just stuffing his face, yelling, "PUNCH HIM! KICK HIM! DO THE THING!"

They are even.

Fuji's defense is perfect, but Daiki's offense is relentless.

Daiki chips away at Fuji's health. Fuji punishes Daiki's mistakes.

The timer is ticking down.

It is down to the wire.

Both characters have a sliver of health.

One hit.

One mistake wins.

Daiki... stops. He lowers his guard for a split second.

It is a bait. A trick.

Fuji sees it. He knows it is a bait.

But I know Daiki. He is not baiting. He is furious. He messed up.

Fuji, the perfect logician, believes it is a trap.

Daiki, the passionate fool, made a mistake.

Daiki recovers.

Fuji hesitates.

That split-second of hesitation.

That one moment where logic failed to read passion.

Daiki unleashes his Super Art.

A fireball. A dragon punch.

A desperate, all-or-nothing move.

It connects.

K.O.

The screen flashes.

The winner... is Deception.

The room is silent.

Dead silent.

Daiki... is breathing hard. He is staring at the screen.

He... he did it.

He actually won.

He did not just win the game.

He beat the Prince.

He beat the system.

He won his pride back.

He won.

The crowd... explodes.

The cheering is deafening.

Hiroto is crying real tears. "IT IS A CINDERELLA STORY!"

"Fuji... he... he lost," Rika stammers.

"No," I whisper, unable to stop smiling. "He did not."

Fuji... stands up.

He looks at his screen.

He looks at Daiki.

Daiki is standing there, shaking. Unsure what to do.

Fuji walks over to Daiki.

He stops in front of him.

The Crown Prince is screaming for him to stop.

Fuji ignores him.

In front of the world. In front of his father.

Fuji Kenji, His Imperial Highness, bows.

A deep, respectful, 90-degree bow.

To Daiki Hanata.

Then... he stands up.

And he holds out his hand.

Daiki looks at the hand.

He looks at Fuji's face. (Fuji is smirking. His rival smirk.)

He looks at me in the crowd.

I am nodding.

Daiki laughs.

He slaps Fuji's hand away.

...And pulls him into a one-armed bro hug.

It is awkward. It is aggressive.

"You almost had me, you stupid Prince," Daiki mutters, loud enough for the mic.

"Almost," Fuji mutters back, clapping him on the back.

The rivalry... is over.

It has turned into respect.

Daiki Hanata has won.