The year leading up to my fourth birthday was a quiet one for the world, but a loud one inside my head. While my peers were busy learning how to share toys, I was busy mastering the architecture of my own soul.
I sat cross-legged on my bed, the room dimly lit by the soft, digital glow of my Quirk. To anyone else, I was just a toddler staring into space. To me, the air was crowded with flickering cards, floating mathematical symbols, and spectral battle simulations.
I called it Ghost Shuffling. By manifesting non-physical copies of my entire deck, I could simulate combat scenarios without spending a drop of real energy.
I treated my mind like a laboratory, running the numbers on every Joker, Tarot, and Planet card I had scavenged as a three-year-old.
I fanned out my current Jokers: the base Joker, the Half-Joker, the high-floor Ice Cream, and the situational Guest Star. My goal was to find the "Ideal Play"—the hand that provided the highest damage with the lowest risk of a "bad draw."
Trial 1: The "Big Hand" Trap
I compared my Level 4 Full House (boosted by three Earth cards) against a raw Four-of-a-Kind. While the Four-of-a-Kind felt powerful, the math proved it was unreliable. In a 10-card draw, the probability of naturally pulling a Four-of-a-Kind was too low for a life-or-death fight.
Trial 2: The Half-Joker Synergy
I tested a Pair combined with the Half-Joker (+20 Mult) against a raw Three-of-a-Kind. Because the Half-Joker only triggered if I played 3 cards or fewer, it turned "weak" small hands into lethal strikes.
Trial 3: The "High Card" Revelation
This was the breakthrough. I used The Fool to duplicate my Pluto cards, obsessively leveling up my High Card. I simulated 1,000 draws. In every single 10-card hand, a High Card was guaranteed. By stacking my Ice Cream (+100 Chips) and Half-Joker (+20 Mult) onto a single, high-level Spade or Diamond, I could out-damage a complex Full House with zero effort.
"High Card, Two-Pair, and Three-of-a-Kind," I noted, my eyes glowing with data. "Those are my pillars. Everything else is just a luxury."
As the 1,000th simulation concluded, a golden chime echoed in my mind, sharper than any I had heard before.
[Achievement Unlocked: Mathematical Architect]
Condition: Complete 1,000 probability simulations.
[Reward: Held Table Expansion]
Suddenly, my internal UI shifted. Beside my 10-card draw pile, a secondary spectral shelf appeared.
The Held Table: A dedicated slot for 5 non-playable cards. This space automatically filters Jokers, Tarots, Planets, and Spectral cards out of the main draw.
I felt a surge of pure delight. Finally. My hand was a chaotic mess before—I'd reach for a card to throw and accidentally pull a Venus planet card instead. Now, my main 10-card hand is strictly for combat, while my Jokers and consumables sit on the Table, active and organized.
I immediately dove back into simulation. With the Held Table, I could calculate the exact probability of my Jokers appearing in their optimal slots.