Chapter 6: Deduction Showdown (Second Match)

LORELEI

I WON’T lie. This deduction face-off was thrilling. I didn’t have much expectations at first. But when I saw the other contestants, I knew that this wasn’t going to be an easy win for us.

Before going to a war of wits with the other detective wannabes, we decided to watch the American version of the show. Kailangan naming pag-aralan kung ano-ano ang challenges na haharapin namin. The Philippine version might have new gimmicks for us, but at least we had a clue on what to expect.

I had to force Loki to watch just one episode of Whose Deduction Show. Abot-langit ang confidence niya na hindi na niya kailangang mag-research dahil lalampasuhin daw niya ang mga kalaban. Still, I managed to coerce him—sorry, I meant ‘convince’—to study the show format.

As it appeared, merong two rounds ang deduction show. The first round is elimination. May apat na teams na invited at maglalaban-laban ang tigdadalawang team para malaman kung sino ang aabante sa susunod na round. The category is about cracking codes. The first team who gives the correct answer proceeds to the next one.

Kung sinuman ang mananalo sa unang round, magkakaharap sa next round na crime scene simulation. Magbibigay ng isang hypothetical na crime scene ang game master at kailangang i-solve ng mga detective.

After our meeting, the head producer Mr. Michael Batongbacal texted me and instructed us to go to the BNC-12 Network Studios for the first round of the Whose Deduction Show. Tinanong pa nga niya kung kailangan kaming sunduin, but we declined. Alistair drives his own car kaya wala kaming problema sa transportation. Meron din naman kaming kaagapay na Waze kaya malayong maligaw kami on our way there.

“Welcome to BNC-12!” the executive producer greeted us as soon as we got inside the studio. I could feel how fast-paced the environment was in this workplace. Halos lahat ng mga staff na nakakasalubong namin ay nagmamadaling maglakad. “Kumusta ang biyahe n’yo papunta rito? Ma-traffic ba?”

“Hindi naman ho,” sagot ni Al. “May traffic buildup lang sa may intersection, but it wasn’t that worse.”

“Tara, doon muna kayo sa holding area habang nagfa-final test kami ng mga equipment,” Sir Michael B. said. May sinenyasan siyang ibang staff na nakaabang sa gilid. Lumapit sila sa amin at sinabihan kaming sumunod sa kanila.

This was my first time to be inside a television station. May mga nakakasalubong kaming crew na may bitbit na iba’t ibang equipment. Nakita ko pa nga ang isang reporter na busy na nakikipag-usap sa kanyang team.
Jamie wanted to take a photo with him, but I told her na huwag siyang abalahin. 

The ushers led us to the green room. Pagbukas pa lang ng pinto, bumungad na sa amin ang tensyon. Naroon na pala ang tatlo pang teams. Mukhang excited na silang makipagtagisan ng deductions, ah? Most of them looked at us thinking that we are in their way and that we must be eliminated. But some of them greeted us with a warm smile and hand wave.

“Don’t smile,” Loki instructed, his eyes looking forward. “We are going to slaughter them anyway so there’s no need to be friendly with them.”

He could have chosen a better word than ‘slaughter.’
“It won’t hurt if we try to make friends with them, right?” I asked.

“Tama si Loki dear! Hindi dapat tayo mag-smile. Hindi dapat tayo maging friendly,” gatong ni Jamie.

“Pangiti-ngiti ang ilan sa kanila, pero nag-iisip na sila ng paraan kung paano tayo ipapahiya mamaya. This is a competition and we shouldn’t let our guards down.”

“Some of them look genuine,” Al commented, ignoring Loki’s instruction by still smiling at the other candidates as we took our seats. “Let’s try to make friends instead of enemies by the end of this show.”

“But we shouldn’t be too attached, ha?” Jamie reminded as she chose the seat beside Loki. “Baka dahil sa pagiging friendly natin, makalimutan na nating kalaban sila at maging careless tayo sa performance natin.”

“I doubt these people went here to make friends,” Loki scoffed. “They are out here for blood. They want the national recognition and that sweet prize money.”

To my surprise—and Jamie’s—pumasok ang isang lalaking artistahin ang mukha at nakasuot ng light blue na blazer. I can’t be mistaken! That’s Damian Domingo, one of the popular young hosts of our time!

“Good day, detectives! I’m Damian, the game master for this season of Whose Deduction Show!” he greeted as he stood at the center of the room. May dala-dala siyang fish bowl na may lamang mga papel. “Alam kong excited na kayong simulan ang tagisan ng talino kaya simulan na natin sa pagpili ng mga makakaharap n’yo. One volunteer per team, please?”

Para sa QED Club, si Jamie na ang nag-volunteer at pumunta sa gitna. Medyo na-starstruck yata siya nang makita sa malapitan ang host. Nang makompleto na ang apat na representative bawat team, isa-isa silang bumunot ng mga nakatuping papel. Jamie showed us a piece of paper with ‘number 2’ written on it.

“Makakalaban natin ang Detec-team sa second match,” anunsyo ni Jamie pagbalik niya sa kanyang upuan. “Not to brag, but I think we can beat them. Mabuti nga’t hindi ‘yong Triumvirate ang nakabunot ng isa pang number 2.”

“Triumvirate?” Loki echoed. “What, are we gonna face off with Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus?”

“Akala ko ba dapat apat ang member ng bawat team?” nagtatakang tanong ko naman. ‘Yon kasi ang nakasulat sa rules na naka-attach sa email ng executive producer. That’s also the same mechanics followed in the American version. “They call themselves Triumvirate which states that they are only three. Unless the word has changed its definition?”

“They call themselves Detective Triumvirate Plus One,” Jamie recalled. “I don’t know why they didn’t choose a more appropriate term for their team. But what’s more important is the threat that they pose sa atin.”

“How can you say that they are a threat?” Al asked, squinting his eyes. Either our teammate was exaggerating or she saw something in them.

“Let’s just say na I can sense something whenever I look at people.” Jamie smiled. “Iba ang aura na ine-emit nila kumpara doon sa ibang contestants.”

“If they are as good as you think they are, we will surely meet them in the next round,” sabi ni Loki. “If they get eliminated in the first one, then you are wrong.”

“Huwag muna nating isipin kung sino ang makakaharap natin sa next round,” I reminded them. Haven’t they heard the phrase that we shouldn’t count our chickens before they hatch? “We have to win this elimination match first. Para saan pa ang pagpaplano natin kung matatalo rin tayo?”

“Don’t worry, Lorie.” Jamie sounded confident. “I’m eighty percent sure na matatalo natin ang Detec-team na ‘yan. Pangalan pa lang, pantalunan na. We’re gonna wipe the floor with them.”

“You’re only eighty percent sure?” Al repeated. “How about the twenty percent? That’s still a huge percentage that might spell doom for us.”

“Don’t think too much about the odds!” Jamie retorted. “There’s four out of five chances that we will win this round. Let’s focus on that, shall we?”

Hindi ko alam kung saan niya hinugot ang four out of five chances na matatalo namin ang kalaban. But I’d rather not rely on chances and focus on our actual performance.

Mayamaya, ipinatawag na sa labas ng green room ang unang dalawang team na maghaharap. Naiwan kaming QED Club at Detec-team dito sa holding area. The tension was obviously building up inside. Walang gustong magpatalo sa aming dalawa, kahit sa titigan lang.

Thanks to the television screen installed in the room, we could watch the match in the studio. Nagkaroon muna ng microphone at camera test bago sinimulan ang shooting.

Loki jumped to his feet and went near the television. “So this is the Detective Triumvirate Plus One, huh? I wonder what’s special about them that Jamie commented they might be a threat to our victory.”

Nagpa-pan ngayon ang camera sa apat na mukhang high school student din gaya namin. Zinu-zoom in, zoom out pa sa babaeng naka-ponytail at merong kapansin-pansing dimples. She looked photogenic kaya siguro sa kanya naisipang i-focus ng cameraman ang lente. I read the name ‘Math’ on her nameplate.

Beside Math was another girl who seems to rarely smile. Diretso lang ang kanyang tingin. Minsa’y napasulyap ito sa camera ‘tapos, biglang umiwas ng tingin. She reminds me of myself. I also don’t usually smile too. Her name, according to her nameplate, is ‘Amber.’

Then there’s this guy with brownish hair na kumakaway-kaway sa camera. Ngiting-ngiti ito at kita ang lahat ng ngipin. Was this his first time to see a camera o makapunta sa studio? I could see him as a happy-go-lucky man. ‘Jeremy’ ang nakalagay na pangalan sa kanyang nameplate.

While Jeremy was busy waving at the camera, the other man seated beside was only observing. He has that serious face as if he was trying to think of solutions to solve the world’s problems. Uncannily, he reminded me of Loki whenever he’s in deep thought. The name ‘Gray’ is printed on his nameplate.

Napatingin na ang mga contestant sa isang direksyon malapit sa camera at saka tumayo. The Detective Triumvirate was on the west side while the Team L.O.C.K. was on the east. Each side has their own round table and at the center was a huge screen kung saan naka-flash ang ‘Whose Deduction Show?’ title card with matching animation.

Damian, the game master, appeared before the lectern. He was holding a cue card, and he declared the start of the deduction show.

“Good morning, mga Kapamilya sa Puso! You are watching Whose Deduction Show! where our detectives will outwit, outmatch and outplay each other!” the host said. “Before we introduce the players, let me give you the mechanics. The rules of the game are simple . . .”

“Do you wanna make a bet who’s going to win?” Loki jested, darting sideways at us. “Come on, don’t be kill joys.”

If Jamie put her bet on the Detective Triumvirate, she would have won because they cracked the code first. The other team looked stunned as the host revealed that the answer was correct. A round of applause followed and confettis flew everywhere.

“Mag-prepare na ang mga kasali sa next match!” sigaw ng production coodinator na nakaabang sa pinto.

Tumayo na kaming apat at inayos ang aming mga suot. Jamie took out her hand mirror and checked how her hair looked. Al fixed the lapel of his blazer and combed his fringes to one side. Loki, being Loki, didn’t mind if his hair remained unkempt.

Nang nasa hallway na kami, nagkrus ang aming landas ng bagong panalong Detective Triumvirate Plus One.

They smiled at us and wished us good luck. Al congratulated them while I returned the smile that they gave us. Loki and Jamie paid them no attention.
Competitive, ah?

Kami na ang nakasalang sa deduction stage. We all sat down on the chairs at the west side.

“Are you nervous?” Loki asked. He was stiff and cold as stone. “Because you shouldn’t be. We cannot let our enemies see fear in our eyes or else they might take it as a sign of weakness.”

“Loki, this is just a deduction show,” I reminded him. He’s taking this ‘farce’ too seriously. Parang no’ng una, ayaw mong sumali, ah? “Actually, mas nakakanerbyos ang mga camera na nakatutok sa atin.”

“Just relax, Lorie!” Jamie advised. “Act natural na parang walang camera na nakatutok sa ‘yo . . . o walang taong nakatingin sa ‘yo. We should always look good on the lenses.”

“Sorry, I wasn’t trained like you to ignore the stares of cameras and people,” I replied. One thing on my mind right now is whether I look good or not. Mahirap na, baka gawing meme ang hitsura ko.

“Dapat masanay ka na, Lorie.” Jamie’s smile broadened. She bat her eyes while looking straight at the camera. Halatang nagpapa-cute siya. “Lalong sisikat ang QED Club pagkatapos ng show na ‘to.”

“Huwag mo munang sabihin ‘yan, baka ma-jinx tayo,” sagot ko naman. I admire her confidence, but I don’t think she should speak too soon. Hangga’t hindi pa tapos ang match na ito, wala pang kasiguraduhan na kami na ang mananalo.

Al got to his feet, glancing at the three of us. “Let’s shake hands with our competitors, shall we?”

“What for?” kunot-noong tanong ni Loki. He stared at Al as if the latter gave a bad idea. Well, for him, it was.

“Why should we shake hands with people we’re gonna crush later? It’s like saying ‘how are you?’ to a cockroach before smashing it with our slippers.”

“It’s the proper courtesy,” Al insisted. If there’s anyone in our club who values formalities and upholds morals, it’s him. This wasn’t the first time na hindi sila nagkasundo ni Loki tungkol sa isang bagay. If Loki wanted to declare war as soon as hostilities erupt, Al would choose diplomacy.

Their perspectives are, more often than not, at the opposite extremes. “Two opposing teams must shake hands with each other to show the spirit of sportsmanship.”

“That’s just a formality.” Loki’s hand made a dismissive gesture. Wala siyang time para sa mga formality. He hates it and everyone in the group knows that.
Al stared at him long enough that made Loki uncomfortable.

“Okay, let’s say I agree with this tradition of exchanging pleasantries before the bloodbath. But should we really be the ones to approach them? They should be paying courtesy to the team that’s going to defeat them.”

I slapped my hand on my forehead. Mahirap talagang makipagdebate sa lalaking ‘to minsan. He would always find a way to defend his flawed perspective.

At imbes na sermunan siya kung bakit kailangan naming gawin ang sinuggest ni Al, tumayo na lang ako. “Let’s go and greet the other team.”

“Lorie!” Jamie called, trying to pull me back to my seat.

“You sure about that? Ayaw ngang makipagkamay ni Loki sa mga ‘yan, eh. Gusto mo bang madapuan tayo ng virus ng pagkatalo?”

Napakurap ang mga mata ko. “You told me earlier that we should always look good on the camera,” paalala ko sa kanya. “Reaching out to our opponents looks good on camera. Don’t you agree?”

“Pero . . .” Nabaling ang tingin niya kay Loki na nakakrus lang ang mga braso at diretso ang tingin.

The three of us stared at him intently. Walang gustong bumitiw ng tingin.

He really has a habit of making things a bit difficult.
“Okay, fine!” Heaving a long sigh, he jumped to his feet and straightened his tie. “You’re making a big deal out of this unnecessary formality.”

We approached the other team across the aisle and shook hands with them. Nagulat pa nga sila nang makita nilang palapit kami. Halos magtago na sila sa ilalim ng mga upuan. What’s with their reaction? Were they feigning that they looked terrified or were they genuinely terrified?

“This is going to be an easy win,” Jamie whispered after we shook hands and exchanged good lucks to each other. I shushed her dahil nasa earshot pa kami ng kabilang team. She’s already declaring victory before the war actually started.

As we returned to our seats, Damian, the host, took the stage. The floor director asked us to standby. On his cue, the camera rolled and the host began his opening spiel.

“And you’re still watching the elimination round of Whose Deduction Show! We have our second pairs who are ready to match wits with each other. So how are you feeling, detectives? Are you ready to crush each other with superb deductions? Let’s start with the QED Club!”

Jamie volunteered to answer on our behalf. Nakita namin sa preview screen ang pag-zoom in sa kanyang mukha. She managed to maintain that vibrant look while answering the question effortlessly. She bat her eyes, looked straight at the camera. Parang sumasagot siya sa question and answer portion ng isang beauty contest.

“Para sa round na ‘to, magbibigay kami ng isang code na kailangan n’yong masagutan,” Damian said. “The first team to give the correct answer shall proceed to the next round. If any of your teams failed to get the right answer, both shall be eliminated from the game. Understood?”

Tumango kaming apat, pati na ang mga kalaban namin. Pagkatapos n’on, bigla na lang nanginig ang mga tuhod ko. I tried to stop them from shaking by firmly holding on to my knees. Kalma lang, Lorie.

“Now gather around your deduction table and we will start the second match!”

Pinalibutan namin ang pabilog na mesa sa aming harapan. Meron nang nakahandang mga papel at pen doon, pati isang tablet PC na may ‘buzzer.’

Mukhang magiging madugo talaga ang laban na ‘to, ah? Should I be worried? My teammates looked perfectly calm. I felt like sasagot kami sa isang quiz bee at nasa championship round na kami.

Nagtungo sa gilid ng malaking screen si Damian. From ‘Whose Deduction Show,’ naging ‘Second Match’ na ang mga salitang naka-flash doon.

“For this round, let me introduce you to the Twitter Killer!” the host said with a tone na may balak na manakot.

“Meron ba kayong Twitter account? Wala? Saang kuweba ba kayo galing?”

I have a Twitter account but I don’t post as much. I prefer jotting down my thoughts on my blog.

The giant screen showed the Twitter profile of a person named ‘Mr. E.’ Wala siyang profile photo at header, at wala ring nakasulat sa bio niya. Sa una, mukhang inactive ang account. But when the screen was scrolled down, may mga nakita kaming series of letters na walang sense.

Mukhang heto na nga ang code na ipapa-solve niya.

“We believe that the random letters on the tweets correspond to a name or a place related to a crime about to be committed around the time they were published,” Damian explained in a serious tone. “By the time that the first ‘target killed’ tweet was posted, a woman named Athena Tan was found lifeless near the monument at the Rizal Park. According to the medical examiner, she was killed by a nerve agent.”

A photo of a short-haired girl flashed on the side of the screen. Dahil hindi naman totoong kaso ito, malamang buhay pa talaga ang babaeng nasa photo. Hiniram lang siguro ang kanyang litrato para may mukha ang biktima.

“The second ‘target killed’ tweet, posted at almost seven in the evening, coincided with the death of a man named Erickson Barrera who was just enjoying the artworks at the National Museum.” Isang litrato ng lalaking may crew cut na hairstyle ang nag-flash sa gilid. “Guess what caused his death? A nerve agent similar to the chemical used in the first crime.”

“Thus making it serial murders,” Loki muttered under his breath. His dull eyes lit up at the sight of the complicated web of killings. Minsa’y napapasulyap siya sa camera.

“We strongly believe that the most recent cryptic tweet pertains to a third murder,” Damian said. The screen zoomed in on the last tweet. “At gusto naming ma-decode ito at mapigilan ang krimen bago pa makakilos ang killer. Now, detectives, are you up for the challenge?”

“Yes!” sigaw ng ilang contestants.

“You only have twenty minutes to crack the code.” Damian pressed a button on the remote, revealing a small timer on the screen. “Good luck, detectives.”

As the countdown started, nagsikilos na ang mga contestant sa kabilang team. Kami naman, tinitigan lang ang mga code na nasa screen. Mas naramdaman namin ang pressure habang patuloy na nababawasan ang mga natitirang minuto.

“Shift cipher is the first code that comes to my mind,” I observed, crossing my arms across my chest. Napatingin ako sa aking teammates na malalim din na nag-iisip, maliban kay Loki. He seemed not that interested. “We only have to identify the shift.”

I wasn’t a big fan of codes and ciphers, but thanks to my association with Loki, napag-aralan ko ang mga ‘yon. One of the simplest is a shift cipher. We replace one letter with another based on a particular number called ‘shift.’

For example, if the shift is 3, letter A would become D—or X if the shift is reverse—and letter E would become H—or B if the shift is reverse. Mula sa isang letter ng cipher, magbibilang ka lang base sa shift.

Napakamot ng kanyang ulo si Jamie at pinaglaruan ang naka-braid niyang buhok. “None of the shifts makes any sense. Puro random letters lang uli ang nakuha ko.”

My eyes squinted at her. “You have already tried every combination?”

“Nakalimutan mo na bang may retentive memory ako?” nakapamaywang na tanong niya na may kasamang pagma-mayabang. “Well, I haven’t tried all the possible combinations—which is infinite! I was referring to a single-digit number na isi-shift sa bawat letter.”

Of course, I haven’t forgotten. She can instantly remember anything that she has seen or heard, even for the first time. May ilang cases na kaming na-solve dahil sa ability niya. Nakakainis nga minsan na ipinagmamayabang niya.

“Using only a single digit as a shift would be anticlimactic.” Loki broke his unusual silence. He did not appear that enthusiastic about the code before us. “If an elementary student can crack this code, there won’t be much fun at all. But you are right. This is a shift cipher.”

“To make this cipher complicated, they might have used two or more digits as shift,” Al added, gently caressing his chin. “The question is, how do we identify those digits?”

“Beats me.” Loki shrugged. Something’s really strange about him at this moment. He was looking forward to crushing—his own words—our competitors, but he wasn’t giving that much input. He usually takes the lead.

“How about the dates?” I asked, pointing at the screen. We are a team anyway kaya hindi kami dapat umasa sa iisang tao lang. “If the clue to the shift is already staring us in the face, the image flashed on the screen might be a good place to look for it.”

“A date shift cipher, huh?” Al’s mouth gaped. “That is possible. Maybe we can check kung talagang date shift cipher sa naunang cryptic tweets?”

Kinuha ni Jamie ang pen at nagsimulang mag-scribble ng mga letter sa papel. What she wrote did not make any sense.

“Kahit baliktarin ko ang date, wala ring mabubuong sensible na words,” naiinis na sabi ni Jamie. She was waving the pen like a wand, hoping the answer would come to her any moment by now. Loki was only darting sideward glances at her.

“How about the time?” Al asked, pointing at the time stamp on the tweet. “It can be a time shift cipher, not the date shift that we thought of.”

Jamie shook her head. “Wala rin akong mabubuo na word o clue.”

“What if we reverse the process?” Al suggested. “We’ve been trying to guess what the shift is so we can get the decoded answer, but maybe there’s another way?”

Nagkatinginan kaming tatlo. Loki was not paying any attention.

“Explain,” I said.

“Do you recall where the first victim was killed?” Al asked.

“Rizal Park,” Jamie recalled instantly.

“Rizal Park has nine letters.” Al started writing down the letters on the paper. “The first cryptic tweet also has nine letters. That’s probably the answer to the first code, right? Now that we have the encrypted code and the decrypted code, we can figure out what shift was used.”

“The numbers 1-7-4-3 repeated,” I noticed, underlining the numbers on the paper. “But what does 1743 mean? Was that the year this code was created? I doubt it.”

“1743 . . .  1743 . . . “ Nagawi sa malaking screen ang mga mata ni Al. Unti-unting nanlaki ang mga ito nang makita ang mga numero. “I think I know how we can get the shift: through the time stamp.”

“But I already tried that method!” Jamie exclaimed. “Puro random letters lang ang nakuha ko.”

“What numbers did you use?”

“543, as in five forty-three.”

“If we convert that time in the 24-hour format instead of the usual 12-hour, we can get the shift,” Al explained. “1743 can be read as 5:43 in the afternoon, right? Look at the tweet. The first code was posted at 5:43 PM.”

Sinubukan ni Jamie ang pattern na napansin ni Al sa ikalawang cryptic tweet. Her eyes widened as she finished writing the numbers.

“1-8-3-9. . . .” I muttered. “6:39 PM!” The digits matched the numbers on the time stamp of the tweet.

“We have to convert the time stamp of the latest cryptic tweet into the 24-hour format,” Al instructed. “And move the letters accordingly.”

Tumango si Jamie at mabilis na isinulat ang mga katumbas na letra. She wrote the answer without pausing even for a split second.

“QUIAP—” Jamie almost yelled the answer, but I managed to cover her mouth before the words could escape her lips. Pinindot ko ang buzzer sa tablet PC para kunin ang atensyon ng host.

“Have you already cracked the code, QED Club?” nakangiting tanong ni Damian. He walked to our table with the cameras following him. Napaayos tuloy ako ng tayo.

I let go of Jamie’s mouth para siya na ang sumagot. She is, after all, our unofficial team spokesperson. “We know where the serial killer will strike next!”

Napahinto ang mga tagakabilang team nang marinig ang boses ni Jamie na puno ng kumpiyansa.

“Ang bilis naman nila!” komento ng isa sa kanilang teammate. I saw Loki smirking in my peripherals. Malamang nilalait na niya sa kanyang isipan ang mga kalaban namin.

Lumapit ang host sa aming table. Tumutok sa amin ang camera na nakasabit sa crane at ang camera na hawak-hawak ng isang staff.

Kalma, Lorie. Remember what Jamie told you earlier. I have to look good on camera kundi gagawing meme ang mukha ko.

Jamie was all smiles as if we had already won. Well, I think we already have. But I don’t want us to declare victory until it’s official.

“The police are curious kung saan aatake ang ating Twitter serial killer. Time is running out already,” Damian said, resting his elbow on the round table. “Can you tell us where?”

“Quiapo Church!” Jamie answered with overflowing confidence. “The serial killer used a series of shift cipher para itago ang kanyang message. How did we get the shift? Look at the time stamps. 7:21 p.m. Convert it into the 24-hour format. 1921. Move the letters accordingly and voila! Code cracked!”

Napanganga ang mga kalaban namin. I wasn’t really looking at them, but the preview screen captured the amazed reaction of one of them.

“You should also tell the police that they should secure the place before seven in the evening,” Al added. “If you look at the two previous cryptic messages, the killer posted the ‘target killed’ tweets around the same time he posted them a day before. Safe to say that whoever the target is, his life will be attempted sometime between six-thirty and eight o’clock.”

Damian only stared at us. May pa-suspense effect pa talaga.

“Tama ba ang sagot nila?”

The huge screen revealed the words, ‘QUIAPO CHURCH.’ Pagkatapos, bigla kaming may narinig na parang putok ng baril. When we looked around, we saw confettis scattered around the studio.

“Congratulations, QED Club! You have cracked the code!” Damian announced kasabay ng pagtugtog ng theme ng show. “Your team shall proceed to the next round and face off with the Detective Triumvirate Plus One! Thank you to Detec-team for being a good sport.”

This time, ang kabilang team na ang pumunta sa side namin para makipagkamay. They uttered words of congratulations. Loki only stared at them as if he wasn’t interested in interacting with losers.

“I thought you would be the most eager to crack the code,” I whispered to him as the host continued his extro spiel. Who wouldn’t have noticed his lack of enthusiasm for this mental activity? “Bakit nasa sidelines ka ngayon? Were you disappointed on the code they used?” 

“Lorelei, you don’t reveal your secret weapon to your enemies early in the game,” he answered, gazing at me sideways. “You keep it until it’s time for you to use it.”

I rolled my eyes. By ‘secret weapon,’ he was obviously referring to himself. Wala namang question kung gaano siya kagaling sa pagiging detective, but I don’t get why he had to downplay his abilities in this round.

“I know what you’re thinking,” he said when I did not utter a word. “Our real enemies are watching in the holding area. I don’t want them to see what we are fully capable of.”

By ‘real enemies,’ obvious na ang Detective Triumvirate Plus One ang tinutukoy niya. He’s becoming too competitive, huh? “Aren’t you taking this game too seriously?”

“This is no longer a game,” he answered. “This is serious business. Let us show the viewers whose deduction show is this show: the QED Club or the Detective Quadrumvirate?”

“Detective ‘Triumvirate,’” I corrected him which, I realized later on, was futile.

“They should be disqualified for choosing an improper team name,” Loki commented. Hindi ko masabi kung nagdyo-joke siya o seryoso sa kanyang komento. “I’d call them Quadrumvirate because I don’t want to waste a breath uttering the ‘Plus One’ part. Or if they want a simpler name, they should have called themselves ‘Detective Four’ or something.”

The host Damian once again congratulated us as the camera attached to a crane zoomed out. The floor director asked us to smile and not move for five seconds. Pagkalipas ng ilang segundo, the shooting was cut at nakahinga na kami nang maluwag. Para kasing napatigil kami sa paghinga para lang manatiling naka-smile sa harap ng mga camera.

We were ushered back to the green room kung saan nakaabang na ang winner ng unang match. They all greeted us with stares, with only two of them beaming at us—Math and Jeremy.

Pakiramdam ko, biglang lumakas ang tensyon sa loob ng kwarto kasabay ng palitan namin ng tingin. Nagtinginan muna silang apat bago nila kami nilapitan.

Were they deciding whether to formally greet us or not?
“Congratulations,” said the young man who I recognized as ‘Gray,’ thanks to his nameplate. “You managed to crack the code in under ten minutes. Tama ang hinala kong kayo ang makakaharap namin sa next round.”

“Child’s play,” Loki regarded him coldly. “What a coincidence. We have the same thought. We’re also looking forward to seeing you in the finals. Our hunches are correct. I guess that’s why we made it this far.”

“May the best detective group win,” Gray said, extending his right hand to our team leader.

“May the best detective group—which is us, by the way—win,” Loki echoed, smirking as he shook hands with our opponent.

“We shall see about that.”

And that’s the start of the clash between the QED Club and the Detective Triumvirate Plus One. Tensions were rising and the real game was just about to begin. 

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