"Hah! Naoki, you actually came to see me because of another woman!" Midari Ikishima looked genuinely delighted when Naoki entered the club building but that joy quickly turned sour when Naoki dropped another woman's name.
"Uh, not exactly. Something happened today, and I overheard your name from the Beautification Committee. Turns out we're classmates, so I thought I'd come say hi."
Sensing Midari's growing jealousy, Naoki rushed to explain.
"Ah, the Beautification Committee. Yeah, I had a match with them earlier. No big deal."
Naoki feigned curiosity. "I heard you tried to cheat and *still* lost. Is that true?"
"Hahahaha!" Midari burst out laughing. "Well, I did lose, but I didn't cheat."
"I just wanted to test that girl's wits, so I proposed a gamble. She accepted and picked a pair of dice."
Midari gestured to the room, cluttered with various gambling paraphernalia cards, dice, even an arcade machine.
Naoki said, "Miharutaki Sakura's a serious person. She probably didn't want to waste time, so she chose dice fast and simple."
"Exactly. She picked this one." Midari pulled a die from a box on the shelf. "Here. Take a look."
Naoki examined it but couldn't tell anything was off.
"It's weighted toward the '2' face. It always rolls a five."
Naoki: ...
Sorry, I have no clue. My skills are too underdeveloped.
Even trying her best, she could only vaguely sense something. If Midari hadn't said anything, she wouldn't have noticed.
More training needed.
"So what happened next?"
"She handed me the die. I shook it, and she guessed even. She was right. She won."
Naoki looked puzzled.
Midari tossed another die onto the table.
"She figured I *planted* the weighted die so she'd notice it and think I'd switch it for another cheat die but instead I used a *normal* one."
Naoki blinked. "Anyone would assume you'd continue cheating."
"Exactly. That's why I said she's too normal."
Sensing Midari's irritation, Naoki added, "Still, she underestimated your boldness."
Midari's eyes gleamed. "Hmph. I'm not afraid of fair play."
Yet who would ever call her *upright*? Midari gambled for fun, not for profit.
Naoki sipped tea, mulling over her next move.
Midari had just given her an idea: to engage Miharutaki, she'd need a bold strategy.
Like leveraging overdue debts the kind junior committee members couldn't collect.
But if she resisted, she'd get marked as livestock. That would be bad.
So gambling couldn't just be for winning it had to build favor.
She looked over at Midari, who was now arm wrestling with her lackeys.
Using *Midari* to draw Miharutaki into a game... that could work.
But she had to hide her true motive.
"Hey, Midari. Let's gamble."
Midari lit up. "What game? How about that Finger-Cut Blackjack we tried last time?"
"No thanks. Just dice. I've been practicing. Let's play for money."
"Boooring. But fine."
"Call the Regulation Committee."
"Wait, we're doing this officially?"
"Otherwise I'm worried you'll go easy on me."
"Tch. As if."
The Regulation Committee was the school's dealer-and-judge team. They only officiated high-stakes games minimum one million yen.
Soon, a Regulation Committee girl arrived short, sleepy-eyed, and wearing a hoodie. This committee, thanks to its chair's preferences, was made up entirely of small, cute girls.
"Three dice each. Bet is one million, ten chips total. Win by eliminating opponent's chips or having more after ten rounds. Lowest bet per round: one chip," the girl droned.
Loser of each round decides whether the next round is 'high' or 'low.' Players roll, then the loser declares, then results are revealed.
Dice control was a rare skill and Naoki lacked it.
First round. Naoki bet one chip.
Midari matched. "Let's see what you've got."
Dice cups shook.
A die flew out of Naoki's cup. Silence.
Even the sleepy loli judge looked stunned.
"Sorry, I'm new to this."
The judge scowled. "Beginner or not, you lose a million if you lose."
Midari howled with laughter.
"You're messing with me, right? Should we switch games?"
Naoki glared. "No. I've got it now."
Rematch. Dice rolled properly. Reveal:
Naoki: 1, 1, 2 = 4 points.
Midari: 4, 5, 6 = 15 points.
"Midari wins."
Naoki: "If the round had been 'low,' I would've won."
Next round, Midari bet three chips.
Naoki had to match. But now *she* chose high or low.
She chose 'high.'
Reveal:
Midari: 2, 2, 3 = 7
Naoki: 1, 2, 3 = 6
Midari wins.
Naoki: ...My luck is cursed.
Down four chips already.
Next round, her turn to bet.
"All in."
Midari: "Oh? Finally got your guts back."
Naoki grinned. "Better to go all out when I have the advantage."
If she could bait Midari into choosing the wrong dice, she could flip the match.
But... high or low?
She had rolled small values twice.
Maybe she was cursed to roll low?
Then again, Midari might be expecting that.
She tried to read Midari's face. Nothing. Blank.
"I feel like I rolled small again," she muttered.
Still no reaction.
Failed to read her.
"Low. I pick low."
Midari smiled. "You're backing down? That's not like you."
Reveal:
Midari: 3, 5, 6 = 14
Naoki: 2, 4, 4 = 10
"Naoki wins."
Lucky.
Back up to 12 chips.
But... Midari suddenly went all-in. Twice.
Both times, she read Naoki perfectly. Controlled her dice. Wiped her out.
Naoki: ...So this is real gambling talent.
The system chimed: *You lost, but you fought back. Gained 2 XP!*
Judge: "Match over. Midari wins. Naoki owes one million yen."
Naoki slumped. "I'm broke."
Judge: "If you don't pay by month's end, you're livestock."
She left.
Midari coughed, then sidled up. "Hey, play a game with me and I'll cancel your debt?"
"No."
"Harsh."
Then she brought over her money box. "Fine. I'll *give* you a million."
"No."
"You used to care about money. Don't tell me... you *want* to be my livestock?"
Before she could overthink it, Naoki waved her off. "It's getting late. I'm leaving."
Midari stared, utterly confused.
This girl was... unpredictable.