Winning or losing didn't matter much to Naoki. What mattered was which outcome would benefit her most in the long run.
Right now, her opponent a capture target clearly wanted to duel her and wasn't too keen on her joining the organization. If she wanted to grow closer to her, perhaps she should perform well. But if winning would go against the target's wishes, then she'd need to tread carefully.
Naoki picked up the dice cup and gave it a good shake. After a moment, she set it down.
"Naoki-san, what's your choice?"
Naoki stared at the dice beneath the cup. If only she had some x-ray vision ability, this would be so much easier.
She had no idea what she'd rolled.
If she were an expert who could feel for flaws in her toss, she might consider folding now and losing half the chips. But...
"Me? I choose to continue," she said and lifted the cup.
Underneath: two threes.
Naoki froze.
A pair of threes. Six points total. The odds of rolling that exact combo were one in thirty-six.
It was just barely more than five. A small win, but a win.
Maybe her dice skills had improved from her match with Midari Ikishima?
Whatever the case, the others didn't think it was luck.
The three spectators looked at her roll. She had chosen to press on a risky move. The pot had grown to four chips. If Miharutaki chose to stop here and rolled a twelve, she'd take the round.
But they only had ten rounds to showcase their strength. If you wanted to make a splash or even wipe out your opponent's chips, each round needed to net five or more. Four wouldn't cut it.
Naoki understood this, too. If Miharutaki rolled a slightly higher number just enough to beat six Naoki might still have a chance next round to roll a perfect twelve and snatch victory.
If it were her, she'd probably stop here. A cautious move to avoid feeding too many chips into the pot. If she waited, the chips could balloon to sixteen next round, risking a massive loss.
If she could end it at eight chips, she'd be stealing victory after letting her opponent build the pot.
Would Miharutaki make the right call?
Naoki had rolled six a greedy move by any standard.
Seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve. There were plenty more values left to risk chasing.
While Naoki pondered, Miharutaki lifted the dice cup, gave it a brisk shake, and set it down.
Aoi Mibuomi asked, "Sakura?"
"Continue," she replied and lifted the cup.
Two sixes.
"She ended it?" Nagi Kamishimo was surprised. "I thought she'd keep going until it hit eight chips."
Ina said, "The turn order wasn't in her favor. This is the smart play."
Aoi announced, "Two sixes ends the round. No number can beat that."
First round Naoki lost four chips.
Didn't seem like much, but now the next round started with her opponent having initiative.
Naoki sighed. She drew a card.
If she kept performing poorly, Miharutaki might lose all interest in her.
This school valued skill in gambling. While weak players weren't always rejected, the strong were always admired.
Draw card!
The system: "Congratulations! You've drawn the Koi Luck Card. It greatly boosts your luck in a single match."
A versatile card.
Naoki activated it and felt a warm surge inside her as if she'd just powered up.
Round two began.
If she wanted to earn respect, she needed to win chips even if she didn't crush her opponent.
This time, Miharutaki opened with a pair of twos. Four points total.
Better than rolling ones or a three, though.
Naoki took the dice cup without much thought. No ballooning the pot too fast. If she rolled ten now, Miharutaki would likely just roll twelve and end it.
Let's try for five.
She rolled. Two and four six points.
Better than the previous roll, but not quite what she aimed for.
Still, Naoki believed the Koi Luck Card had helped. Last round her luck had peaked; this round it should've balanced out. Staying above the expected result meant the card was working.
But it wasn't a wish-fulfillment card it couldn't guarantee exact outcomes.
Next turn, Miharutaki rolled a three and four seven points.
Naoki had to admit: her opponent's dice control was superb. She was clearly rolling with intent.
From behind, Nagi said, "Sakura hasn't made a single mistake yet. Just in dice tossing alone, I can't compare."
Ina laughed, "Takes talent, huh?"
Naoki took her turn again. Now she faced the same dilemma Miharutaki had previously.
She could fold here and reclaim her four lost chips.
Or go big.
She chose the latter.
Let's go for a big number but not too big.
Naoki prayed silently, shaking the dice with care. Good hand feel.
She opened the cup four and five.
Nine.
Her face twisted. Not ideal.
The pot had reached eight chips.
Her opponent wouldn't give her another chance.
Sure, ten and eleven were still available, but if Miharutaki rolled eleven, she'd leave it up to Naoki to roll twelve. If Naoki succeeded, she'd lose sixteen chips in one go.
What about ten? It'd tempt Naoki to go for eleven, allowing Miharutaki to close with twelve.
But Naoki wasn't that foolish. She'd try for twelve right away. Again, leaving it to luck.
Naoki had already made three greedy moves in a row, boxing herself in.
This was the Koi Card's flaw it didn't grant pinpoint accuracy.
If raw luck could defeat years of practice, it'd be ridiculous.
As expected, Miharutaki rolled another two sixes. Game over. Eight chips gone.
Now the score stood: 38 to 62.
Nagi applauded. "Sakura's hand is still steady."
Even veteran dice players couldn't consistently roll exactly what they wanted it took energy and focus.
So far, Miharutaki Sakura hadn't faltered once.
Naoki studied her face. There barely visible was the trace of fatigue. Dice control drained her.
There was hope. If Naoki could exhaust her opponent's mental focus, she might lose that precision.
At the very least, Naoki wanted to win back what she'd lost.
She reached into her system inventory.
The Charm Card.
This might be her secret weapon.
According to the system, the card worked like a stimulant rattling the nerves.
Dice control required total focus.
If she could break Miharutaki's concentration even just for a second Naoki might finally tip the odds in her favor.