61. Hikigaya Challenges Indian Poker IV
Hikigaya closed his eyes.
In this situation, Kiwatari Jun was undoubtedly going to lose. However, with Tsubomi Nanami in the mix, he would only need to shoulder a debt of fifty million yen. While his pride might be hurt, his bones would remain unbroken. Hikigaya's task was to crush him to the point of no return.
But to do that, Jabami Yumeko would need to make a sacrifice. Hikigaya Hachiman had already mentally calculated all the possible outcomes.
He hesitated for a moment. This wasn't the usual emotion for Hikigaya. In the past, he had been alone without the entanglements of friendship. All that mattered was defeating the enemy, and he didn't care if it cost him a little. Well, maybe he did care sometimes. When dealing with the troubles of the Service Club, he had to consider Yukinoshita Yukino's feelings, but that was only because Ms. Yukinoshita was his benefactor.
Now, here in front of him, was a chance to send Kiwatari Jun to hell. However, the cost would be that Jabami's debt wouldn't decrease; it would remain the same.
"Win a thousand, lose eight hundred." No gain. For Hikigaya, that meant a loss.
He looked at Jabami Yumeko, observing her profile. For a moment, he was speechless.
"Hikigaya-kun, you don't need to worry about my thoughts~ If there's something you want to do, just go ahead and do it boldly!"
The two exchanged glances, understanding each other perfectly. With Jabami's consent, Hikigaya had no more concerns and nodded seriously.
"What are you two talking about? Stop speaking in riddles, damn it!" Kiwatari Jun slammed the table in frustration. "Hurry up and start the seventh round of the game!"
.
.
.
Having learned his lesson, Kiwatari Jun finally wised up, sending a look of disdain at Tsubomi Nanami, signaling her with his palm.
A faint smile curled at the corners of his lips. This time, Tsubomi's hidden cards were a flush with 7 and 8, a winning hand. As long as he played his role convincingly and baited Jabami and Hikigaya into taking the bait... he would turn the tables and win, all in one go!
He pretended to be unconcerned, casually adding one of his own chips.
And Tsubomi, upon receiving the message he transmitted, showed a hint of joy, instinctively about to place several chips on the table.
Kiwatari Jun's eyes widened when he saw this. Tsubomi, that idiot, how could she possibly deceive Hikigaya and Jabami with such a large bet? He immediately shouted at her in a harsh tone, "Idiot! Use your brain! Let me raise the bet!"
"You're the idiot," Hikigaya couldn't help but mock from the side, "Why the hell would you tell us you have good cards?"
Hikigaya and Jabami Yumeko exchanged a smile and spoke in unison: "Not calling!"
"Tch—"
Kiwatari Jun clenched his fists, making them crack, his eyes burning with fury. He instinctively wanted to turn around and punch Tsubomi.
It was all because of that fool that his progress was being dragged down. Once the game ended, he would make her regret it and show her what it meant to be livestock!
But right now, he had to deal with the situation at the table. Kiwatari Jun forced himself to calm down and analyze the situation. His current chips were:
[Jabami Yumeko: 118 million]
[Kiwatari Jun: 98 million]
[Hikigaya Hachiman: 91 million]
[Tsubomi Nanami: 40 million]
At this rate, he would inherit Tsubomi's debt because of finishing second.
If that happened, he would suffer a huge loss—he came here to make money, after all! Plus, he couldn't keep all the profits for himself; he had to give a portion to Mibuomi Aoi, that vampire, which added double the pressure.
If he didn't come in first, he would end up with more debt and be reduced to livestock.
Just thinking about the methods Mibuomi Aoi used on losers made Kiwatari Jun tremble, goosebumps rising all over his body.
This was a gamble he absolutely could not lose. He had more reasons to win than anyone else.
"I will become livestock? Impossible! I'm the one who raises livestock! I'll make them understand!"
"Please, let the eighth round give me a good hand!"
Kiwatari Jun prayed inwardly, focusing all his attention on the cards in his hand.
'A scattered hand?! Another scattered hand?! Why is the heavens being so unfair to me!' Kiwatari Jun was nearly in despair, but forced himself to remain calm, placing one of his chips on Hikigaya's bet, hoping that his current expression would confuse Hikigaya Hachiman and Jabami Yumeko.
'Make them think I'm afraid on purpose, then fold, and I might still have a chance to win.'
However...
Hikigaya Hachiman surprisingly pushed all his chips to the table… Was this an all-in? Kiwatari Jun looked up in disbelief, staring at Hikigaya Hachiman.
He saw Hikigaya lazily resting his head on his hand, yawning, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the poker table.
"Come on, if you had a good hand, you'd bet Jabami's chips."
"Just fold."
Hikigaya raised his pair of cards and placed them in front of Kiwatari Jun, then casually gathered the chips that Kiwatari Jun had thrown.
'It's been seen through...'
'It's... hopeless now.'
Kiwatari Jun's eyes went blank, mechanically proceeding to the next round of the game. He was now at an absolute disadvantage. He finally understood—his lies were completely ineffective in front of these two. Everything had been exposed. Yet he couldn't figure out what Hikigaya and Jabami were holding. Whether they had good or bad cards, their expressions were the same.
'Damn bastards, because they're both the ones with the most debt, they have no pressure when it comes to gambling?'
'Bastards! Then just be the ones to lose for me! Why do you keep opposing me!'
Kiwatari Jun's heart felt like it was breaking. Fear, regret, he began to reflect on why he had listened to Mibuomi Aoi and provoked these two first-year monsters.
He... simply could not win.
If there was another time, he absolutely wouldn't...
'Wait, I have a flush?! A 7 and 5 flush?! This is an absolute big hand.'
Kiwatari Jun covered his eyes with his hand, and the negative emotions that had plagued him earlier vanished in an instant. The corners of his mouth curled into a triumphant smile. The goddess of luck has finally favored him!
His eyes turned pitch black, and his heartbeat began to accelerate at a rapid pace. He was going to bet everything he had here; his fate would be decided in this moment.
Kiwatari Jun turned to Tsubomi and shouted, "Put all of Jabami's chips on the table and transfer them to me!"
Tsubomi Nanami shuddered in fear and mumbled, "But if I do that… I…"
"If you don't give them to me, I will absolutely, absolutely not let you go once this is over. I will send you straight to hell, Tsubomi Nanami!" Kiwatari Jun didn't hide his cruelty, and under his intense gaze, Tsubomi silently pushed Jabami's chips onto the table.
All of this was watched by Jabami Yumeko.
Hikigaya had already chosen to fold early. This time, Jabami did not fold, and in an unusual turn, she pushed her chips to match Hikigaya's bet, as though she were going to have a showdown with Kiwatari Jun.
'Jabami didn't fold?! Does she have a good hand…?'
'But here, I absolutely cannot back down. This is my last chance. As long as I get Tsubomi's chips, I'll be the undisputed first place!'
'This is no longer about gambling skills, observation, or scams! This is a battle of luck!'
'This is my Kiwatari Jun's gambling!'
Kiwatari Jun roared inwardly, his eyes seeming to burn with black flames. As Momobami Kirari announced the reveal of the hands, Kiwatari Jun quickly flipped over his and Jabami's cards.
"7 and 5 of the same suit, against 6 and 2 of the same suit. Winner, Kiwatari Jun." Momobami Kirari's voice remained calm, her beautiful eyes fixed on Hikigaya, waiting for his next move.
Kiwatari Jun slumped in his chair. His heart rate was over 200, and the thrill of the gamble fueled his intense desire to win. The feeling of turning the tables with a final desperate move nearly made him faint with excitement.
"I won! I really won!"
"Jabami's five chips, totaling 155 million, the undisputed first place." Kiwatari Jun looked down at the chips in his hand—thanks to Tsubomi's contribution, the number had increased to five.
Now, he had a total of 163 million chips, which was 20 million more than the second-place Hikigaya.
"You all deserve this! Starting tomorrow, I'll show you what hell is like, especially you, Hikigaya Hachiman! I'll make your life worse than death!" Kiwatari Jun's spit dripped from his mouth uncontrollably due to his excessive excitement, his expression wild and unhinged.
Hikigaya's emotions remained restrained. He only responded to Kiwatari's threat in a calm tone, "The result of the gamble is not decided until the very end."
Kiwatari's saliva continued to flow, his face somewhat stiff, seemingly not understanding why Hikigaya and Jabami were so calm.
They had clearly already reached a dead end!
Clap—clap—
Momobami Kirari clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention. "What a thrilling gamble. Now, let's begin the tenth round."
"Whether you laugh or cry, this is the final round. Please don't leave with any regrets, everyone."
Hikigaya stretched lazily, "Finally, it's going to end? It feels like time has been moving so slowly…"
He glanced at his watch, the hour hand having already passed six, then pointed to his watch and asked Kirari, "President, since I missed dinner because of the gambling, will there be any compensation?"
Momobami Kirari paused, clearly affected by Hikigaya's offbeat thinking. She quickly regained her composure, a smile spreading across her face. "In the end, I will personally treat the first-place winner to a meal. After all, this gamble has the highest stake among the 94 rounds with 376 participants, and it's certainly been an exciting game."
"Then I thank you in advance, President." Hikigaya nodded.
Their conversation completely ignored Kiwatari Jun, who was now in first place.
Kiwatari Jun was left confused, staring at the poker table with a look of bewilderment.
'If I don't take part in this round, I'll still be in first place.'
'No, wait... I got too excited and completely overlooked a simpler way to secure first place...'
'For example, if Jabami Yumeko pushes all her chips to let Hikigaya win... then first place would go to Hikigaya. But the reverse is also true. However, if that happens, one of them would have to shoulder a debt of 310 million…'
'No, that's wrong. They were already going to bear that debt. If the two of them are a team, it doesn't matter who comes in first and who comes last! Did they come to this gamble with that very goal in mind?!'
An overwhelming fear once again wrapped itself around Kiwatari Jun. "Shameless! Rogues! Thieves of the student council!" This almost lawless approach made Kiwatari Jun go mad. What they did didn't matter, but if he wasn't in first place, he would have to take on a huge amount of debt!
'There's no other choice now. I have to make sure either Tsubomi or I win in the final round to secure first place! I cannot let them transfer their chips!'
This time, Momobami Kirari seemed to deliberately slow down the dealing speed. Under her control, eight cards slowly flew into the hands of the four players.
"Come on! The winning cards!" Kiwatari Jun's fingers trembled as he wrote his predictions on Tsubomi's small palm.
After confirming each other's hands, Kiwatari Jun suddenly raised his head. In the final round, Tsubomi's hole card turned out to be a pair of tens!
"This time, there's no doubt, I win."
Kiwatari Jun felt a heavy weight lift off his chest and began to relish the sight of Jabami Yumeko deep in thought.
"Go ahead and think about how you want to decide. Whether you bet or not, the final result will still leave you in third place."
"Jabami, bet your own chips."
Hikigaya Hachiman's eyes flickered, and he spoke calmly.
"Eh? I could just win by doing nothing. But since it's Hikigaya-kun's order, I guess I'll follow it," Jabami Yumeko said with a snap of her fingers, pushing one of her chips into the pot.
What?
Kiwatari Jun stared at Hikigaya Hachiman in shock, unable to understand what Hikigaya was trying to do with his move.
"Because if I do nothing, I'd win easily, but that's boring," Hikigaya Hachiman said, playing with his chips. "But I, on the other hand, don't want to keep carrying this debt, so I'll have to inconvenience you, Jabami, and have you make a sacrifice."
"Hikigaya-kun, you're so mean!" Jabami Yumeko said, as if just realizing it, pouting with a cute expression. She grabbed Hikigaya's arm and squeezed it between her cleavage. "You can't leave me behind~"
"Well then, let's fall into the abyss together. Jabami, three chips!"
Unable to resist Jabami's charm, Hikigaya placed three chips on the table at once. Now, there were five of Jabami's chips on the table.
Kiwatari Jun was stunned by their actions. He had thought that his personal gameplay was already perverse, but now these two...
Were they really planning to fall into hell together? What kind of freaks were they?!
'No, this isn't the time to be thinking about that.' Kiwatari Jun grew terrified. 'If that's the case, these two madmen would rather take last place themselves than let Tsubomi's chips fall behind mine, and if that happens... I'll still have to bear a 40 million debt.'
"Tsubomi! Fold your hand! If you beat me, I won't let you off!"
"Fold! Fold! Fold!" With every command, Kiwatari slammed his fist on the table, his voice growing wild and violent as it echoed throughout the gambling room.
"Quick, fold for me—!"
Tsubomi Nanami lowered her eyes, resigned, and was about to throw away her pair of tens.
"Tsubomi, wait."
Just before Tsubomi could discard her hand, Hikigaya spoke up. His voice was as intense as the blazing sun, carrying a mysterious power that seemed to draw anyone out of the depths of despair to look toward the first light of dawn.