Following the successful deployment of the Noodle Algorithm - Mark I, Kai confirmed the universality of the Systematic Style. Whether optimizing carbohydrate transfer or neutralizing a brute-force charge, the core principles of kinetic efficiency and force application remained constant. The challenge of Riku, however, required a leap beyond reactionary tactics.
Kai sat alone on the rooftop, his observation post. He was focused on the next module: Prediction and Pre-emption.
"To defeat an opponent of Riku's caliber," Kai dictated into his log, his voice barely a whisper against the breeze, "one must not merely react to their action (A), but calculate their most probable decision (D) based on all available historical data (H). The goal is to pre-emptively neutralize D, rendering A irrelevant."
He structured the new module:
The central calculation was Pre-emption Efficacy (EP): the ratio of the Probability of calculating Riku's next move (DA) against the Risk (S)—the cost of infiltration and potential discovery required to obtain DA. The key variable in Riku's decision model was his Habitual Stress Response. His fighting style relied on overwhelming momentum, but the true vulnerability lay in the psychological triggers that governed his choice of that momentum. What force determined whether he chose a right sweep or a feint? That critical data required direct collection at the source.
The source was the Kyōdō Training Group—Riku's inner circle. They operated primarily after hours in the old, unused 3rd floor gymnasium, an area generally ignored by faculty. It was a closed system for data, and Kai intended to be an unauthorized sensor.
Infiltration Protocol
The most critical challenge was reducing the Risk (S) variable. Riku's group was alert, and the old gym's single entrance was under constant, visual monitoring.
Kai's approach was not brute stealth, but Environmental Subtraction. He wouldn't move like a ghost; he would move like an object that wasn't worth observing.
He calculated the optimal entry time: 21:30—the 30 minute mark of their two-hour session. This period often saw a dip in perimeter security as fatigue and focused training took over.
He approached the gym's rear wall, utilizing the cover of the dense cherry laurel bushes. His attire was a custom 95% matte-black synthetic blend, designed to absorb, rather than reflect, light from the exterior security lamps.
The external air vent leading to the gymnasium was wide but positioned awkwardly 3 meters high. Using a technique derived from free-climbing physics—finding the optimal friction points on the masonry—Kai ascended with minimal sound and zero lateral movement, placing his feet only where the weight distribution was evenly transferred vertically.
He reached the vent cover, a large, metal grid secured by four bolts. Acoustic signature risk: High.
Instead of unscrewing the bolts, Kai used a narrow steel shim, applying precise, focused 3 degree rotational force to each bolt until the threads were barely engaged, holding the plate in place by static friction alone. A small, silent tug, and the plate came free.
He slipped into the vent shaft. The cramped space required him to reduce his breathing rate to 6 BPM to minimize air turbulence noise. He moved like an earthworm through a pipe, using the friction of his elbows and knees against the metal to propel himself silently towards the main observation point: a grate positioned high on the gym wall, overlooking the central training mat.
Riku's Decision Matrix
Kai arrived at the vent grate. The view was perfect. Below, Riku was engaged in a sparring match with two of his most skilled lieutenants. The air was thick with the smell of sweat and effort.
Kai activated his phone's high-sensitivity audio recorder and began logging. He ignored the physical actions for the first 10 minutes. His target was verbal and non-verbal commands.
Riku's fighting style confirmed Kai's prior analysis: a constant cycle of momentum application. He favored long, heavy combinations, always concluding with a high-force, linear finisher.
Kai started isolating Riku's responses to adversity.
Variable 1: Sudden Lateral Force (Low Risk). When the opponent executed a simple side-step (low threat), Riku's decision was 85% predictable: a rapid, momentum-preserving 180 degree turn followed by an immediate counter-strike with the back leg. Decision Log: Rigid counter-attack protocol.
Variable 2: Sustained Pressure (Medium Risk). When an opponent maintained close-quarters pressure for more than 5 seconds, Riku's response became highly volatile. He would often execute a 1 second feint to create distance, followed by a High-Force, High-Risk takedown attempt. Decision Log: Over-reliance on overwhelming force to solve complexity.
Variable 3: The Call-Out. A key moment arose when one of Riku's lieutenants, Kenji, successfully evaded Riku's back-leg counter. Riku stopped the fight, not with anger, but with cold, precise frustration. "Your center of gravity was 3 cm too high on the turn, Kenji. Re-calculate the pivot arc."
Kai realized Riku didn't see fighting as an art; he saw it as a fault-tolerance test of his own system. His rigidity was his strength, but also his most profound weakness. If his counter-attack protocol failed, he didn't adjust; he defaulted to a higher force setting.
Kai found the golden data point when Riku was briefly distracted by a text message on his phone. He was mid-drill, focusing on a multi-strike combination.
The drill sequence was: Right Hook→Left Sweep→Right Uppercut→Left Disengage.
While looking at his phone, Riku executed the sequence. The initial Right Hook landed perfectly, but the mental distraction caused him to miss the timing on the Left Sweep by 0.07 seconds. When he realized the error, he skipped the uppercut and went straight to the Left Disengage.
Critical Data Point:Riku's Stress/Distraction Abbreviation Protocol. When Riku detects a flaw in his sequence that costs him more than 0.05 seconds, he tends to jump immediately to the safety termination phase of the drill, bypassing the next offensive step.
This was the key to pre-emption. By introducing a calculated, subtle interruption that triggered Riku's internal error state, Kai could predict his next move and force a defensive, rather than offensive, transition.
The System Alerts
Kai was so absorbed in analyzing the pattern that he failed to monitor his external variables.
A heavy door creaked open below. It was Takeshi, another of Riku's high-ranking members, carrying a stack of towels. Takeshi was known for his obsessive attention to detail.
Takeshi paused directly beneath Kai's vent grate, looking up at the ceiling. The air conditioning unit hummed loudly, but Takeshi's eyes were fixed on the slight, almost imperceptible misalignment of the bolts on the vent cover.
Risk (S) variable suddenly spiked to \text{95\% \text{ (Imminent \text{ Discovery)}}.
Takeshi reached up a massive hand, his fingers brushing the cool metal of the vent cover. Kai knew he had only a single, silent moment to retreat before the heavy grate was torn away.
He didn't move backward, which would create noise inside the shaft. Instead, he initiated a controlled, internal Mass-Shift Protocol. He shifted his center of gravity entirely onto his right elbow and knee, allowing his left side to rise a fraction of a millimeter away from the metal.
Takeshi's fingers gripped the edge. He gave a sharp, exploratory pull. The vent cover remained still, held in place by the carefully calculated static friction. Had Kai not shifted his mass, the counter-force of his body against the metal would have been enough to overcome the friction on the barely-engaged bolts.
Takeshi grunted, confused. He ran his finger over the metal, satisfied that it was securely fastened, and walked away.
Kai waited 90 seconds before allowing his breathing to return to normal. He had executed a perfect, physical, risk-mitigation move under extreme pressure.
He retrieved his equipment and began the silent, methodical retreat, moving backward through the air shaft. He had enough data.
The New Algorithm
Back on the rooftop, Kai summarized his findings. The confrontation with Riku would not be a brute force vs. geometry contest. It would be a duel between two algorithms.
Riku's algorithm was a rigid, power-focused sequence with an exploitable Error Correction Protocol that defaulted to defense when his offensive momentum was subtly interrupted.
Kai's new Prediction and Pre-emption Algorithm (Mark III) was ready for calibration. It didn't rely on greater power, but on the exploitation of mental inertia.
The final confrontation was no longer just about survival. It was about proving the mathematical and scientific superiority of a truly optimized system. Kai smiled, a thin, satisfied expression. Riku was no longer an opponent; he was a predictable pattern waiting to be broken.