The Odds Problem

 

「Hi. Good work out there.」

「Well, he was using that Lanius. Of course it was a blowout. I bet it didn’t serve as a warm-up, huh?」

Kou had rejoined Hyoue and Bardo, the three now gathered post-match. He offered his own thoughts on how it had gone.

「The Amphitheater’s entirely about competition. They prioritize fairness above all.」

「That’s the big difference from underground matches, where gambling’s the point. The organizers inject random factors as a privilege of control. Without uncertainty, nobody gets excited.」

Bardo grinned as he spoke.

「It was the same in Japan with kendo—no rules kept escalating until it became a problem. Back in the Bakumatsu period.」

「What kind of problem?」

「Well, there was this crazy skilled swordsman. Huge guy, real giant. Switched to a ridiculously long shinai over five shaku—and wrecked everyone just with thrusts. His size and reach gave him the edge. On top of that, his thrusts packed terrifying force. People said