Ayanokōji Kiyotaka lay on his bed, silently observing the game.
"Nagumo's here for more than just bonding. He's up to something... He probably tampered with the cards. But his smile seems forced. Did something go wrong?"
"The second-years lost the first round. Is he deliberately losing to make the first-years complacent?"
Ayanokōji pondered quietly.
"I lost the first round," Nagumo said, gathering the cards to shuffle. He had promised the first-years a game and had to follow through.
Nagumo also aimed to probe the first-years, especially to discover who tampered with his cards.
"So, first-years, how was your first official day of classes?"
As the loser, Nagumo shuffled the cards and asked casually.
"Exhausting..." Yukimura sighed.
"But many of you seem to handle the intense training well. Koenji, for instance, looks at ease."
Nagumo smiled, glancing at Koenji.
"He was barely walking in the second half..." Yukimura muttered.
"Still, Koenji exercises regularly. Even long-distance runs shouldn't be a problem for him."
Despite his dislike for Koenji, Yukimura acknowledged his abilities.
"Really? When does he exercise? Our schedule's tight. When does Koenji find the time?"
"Mornings and before bed. He was already back from his morning workout before 6 AM today."
Yukimura explained.
"I see."
Nagumo narrowed his eyes.
"That explains it. Koenji likely infiltrated our room and tampered with the cards when we were out."
Nagumo dealt the cards for the second round.
Minutes later, Nagumo lost again, drawing the Joker.
"Seems like luck isn't on my side today."
Nagumo smiled, his frustration peaking. His mark was gone, but the game relied heavily on luck. Losing two rounds in a row was unlikely.
With two losses out of four, the second-years' breakfast duties wouldn't decrease; they might even increase.
"What's Nagumo up to?"
Kiriyama glanced at Nagumo, confused. He knew Nagumo had an agenda but couldn't understand his consecutive losses.
Unbeknownst to Kiriyama, everything was beyond Nagumo's control.
"Can't let the first-years get too confident!"
"I lost again. I'll shuffle."
Nagumo secretly bent a corner of the Joker, creating a new mark.
"They won't notice this."
He flattened the card, making the fold invisible to others. Only he knew of the tiny crease.
'More tricks, huh?'
Saiki observed Nagumo's actions. After ensuring the crease was noticeable, Nagumo shuffled and dealt the cards, keeping the marked Joker for himself.
"It doesn't matter who starts with the Joker; it'll be drawn early."
Nagumo thought, continuing the game.
Unaware, Saiki had used his powers to alter the card order. Nagumo's original mark had disappeared, so Saiki only changed the dealing sequence.
As long as the Joker stayed with Nagumo, he'd lose if others avoided it.
Saiki activated his telepathy...
Soon, players had fewer cards, and Nagumo's forehead glistened with sweat.
The Joker remained in his hand, never drawn by others.
"Impossible... Why hasn't the Joker been drawn? Did they notice my mark? No, it's hidden. Just luck?"
Nagumo was baffled.
As Hashimoto drew the final card, the Joker stayed with Nagumo, giving the first-years their third win.
This meant the first-years would make breakfast only once.
"Awesome!"
The first-years cheered silently.
"Nagumo, we can't keep losing, even if it's just a game," Kiriyama said, annoyed. His rivalry with Nagumo meant more breakfast duties for him.
Nagumo glanced at Kiriyama, his eyes sharp with malice.
Kiriyama looked away, lips tightening.
"The first-years are lucky."
Only Kiriyama noticed Nagumo's glare.
Meanwhile, Koenji sat up.
"Nagumo, what do you think of the final round?"
"Now you're interested? What makes you think the outcome will differ?"
Koenji smiled.
"I sense the situation isn't as you expected. Nagumo didn't come here to lose."
Koenji perceived the anomaly. Nagumo's consecutive losses were unexpected.
"What I imagined? Sorry, I don't understand what you mean. I just want to bond with the underclassmen."
Nagumo Miyabi chuckled, though in his heart, he grew warier of Kōenji Rokusuke.
"Theoretically, even in a game, upperclassmen should have an advantage in experience, but it doesn't seem that way in practice. Did something unusual happen, Nagumo?"
"Just bad luck, I guess."
Nagumo replied.
If Kōenji had tampered with the cards beforehand, then Nagumo's own subtle folding of the card should've gone unnoticed. The fact that the joker was dealt to him perfectly while others never drew it had nothing to do with Kōenji.
The only explanation was luck.
Kōenji smiled faintly upon hearing Nagumo's words and lay back on the bed, satisfied.
*Was it really just a coincidence?*
Nagumo, puzzled, shuffled the cards again and redealt them—
This time, the joker was about to land in his hand once more.
But Nagumo didn't deal it immediately. Instead, he swiftly hid the joker in his palm, dealt the next card to himself, and silently passed the joker to the next player, Yukimura Teruhiko.
*'A magician, huh?'*
Saiki Kusuo thought to himself.
Almost everyone present was oblivious to Nagumo's sleight of hand, except Saiki, who saw it all clearly.
By passing the joker to someone else, Nagumo eliminated the possibility of it staying in his hand the entire time. Meanwhile, Saiki could track the joker's movement by the faint crease on its back.
As long as he didn't draw the joker, his chances of winning were high.
That was Nagumo's plan.
However, he overlooked one possibility of losing—
Kiriyama Ikuto.
While Nagumo knew the joker's true location, Kiriyama didn't.
Still, the second-year students held a significant advantage.
Of course, that assumed no psychics were interfering.
As the cards dwindled in everyone's hands, the joker ended up with Hashimoto Masayoshi.
*The odds of winning should be pretty good now.*
Nagumo thought. Soon, he and Yukimura ran out of cards and were eliminated, leaving only Kiriyama and Hashimoto in the game.
Nagumo wanted to stay in the game as long as possible to increase his chances of winning.
But he hadn't expected his pairs to clear so quickly. Though he knew the joker's location, he couldn't predict the other cards.
Minutes later, the final draw approached, and it was Kiriyama's turn.
He swallowed nervously, glanced at Nagumo, and reached out—for the joker.
"Kiriyama."
At that moment, Nagumo spoke up, wanting to warn Kiriyama without being too obvious.
"Think carefully before making your choice. Decide only when you're sure!"
"I..."
Kiriyama hesitated, his hand hovering mid-air.
*Why did Nagumo suddenly say that... Is it a hint? Is he telling me which card is the joker?*
Kiriyama knew Nagumo wouldn't say such things out of the blue.
But as he considered changing his mind, a voice echoed in his thoughts.
*'You're the vice president and Nagumo's rival. Do you really need to follow his lead? Maybe he's trying to embarrass you.'*
*Maybe Nagumo's deliberately doing this. Even if I lose, it's not my fault—it's all on Nagumo!*
Kiriyama thought, then stuck with his original choice and drew the card.
The joker!
The first-years won again, their fourth consecutive victory!
This meant the first-years wouldn't have to prepare breakfast early; the second-years would handle it, saving them a lot of trouble.
"Yes!"
Ishizaki Daichi cheered, while the other first-years, though overjoyed, kept their emotions in check.
Nagumo turned to Kiriyama, smiling but saying nothing.
After a few seconds, he slowly clapped.
"The first-year freshmen are truly impressive. We accept our loss. We'll handle your breakfast for the next two days!"
Despite his words, Nagumo's anger was at its peak.
*Why? Why did this happen?! I wanted to shift some responsibilities to the first-years, but now we're even busier?! Damn it!*
But Nagumo concealed his frustration, forcing a smile.
"Thanks, Nagumo-senpai!"
Yukimura Teruhiko, oblivious to the game's hidden mechanics, thanked him.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
"Nagumo, what are you doing here?"
Horikita Manabu asked.