The third round began, with Naoki taking the first move once again.
She hoped for a low roll.
Shaking the dice, she whispered a quick prayer.
Upon revealing the result: a one and a two three total. Not bad.
Miharutaki rolled next, beating Naoki's score with two twos four points.
Back to Naoki. After a short prayer, she rolled again and unveiled the cup.
A three and a four seven points.
The pot was now four chips. Naoki was sure Miharutaki wouldn't end the round just yet.
As she expected, Miharutaki rolled again eight points. The dice passed back to Naoki. The pot doubled to eight chips.
"Oh? Is Sakura getting greedy? If Naoki ended it here, she'd walk away with eight chips. Not bad," Ina murmured.
Nagi Kamishimo smiled. "Utsugi already lost twelve chips. We're on round three. To come back from that, Sakura has to take risks."
Exactly. Naoki didn't think eight chips were enough. She had to win more. She needed to surpass Sakura.
Naoki shook the dice again. This was her chance to turn the game around. She silently asked for help from her Koi Luck Card.
The dice settled.
Naoki lifted the cup "Four and five, nine points!" she said with delight.
Ina frowned. "Technically, there's still room for three more turns. But with the pot now at sixteen chips, Sakura's definitely ending it here. No point risking more."
Naoki took a deep breath and glanced across the table at Miharutaki Sakura, whose calm demeanor hadn't changed since the start. Activating the Charm Card, she softened her voice.
"Miharutaki-sama."
Her voice was gentle, soft, like a silk ribbon fluttering through the room. As Miharutaki picked up the dice cup, she instinctively looked up only to see Naoki smiling sweetly.
Her heart stirred, strangely so.
That feeling unfamiliar and unwanted.
"I don't believe you'll end it here," Naoki cooed, voice infused with the Charm Card's power. "If you roll ten, I'll roll eleven. Let's see if you can get twelve."
Nagi and Aoi Mibuomi exchanged skeptical looks.
Nobody in their right mind would fall for such an obvious bluff. Certainly not someone as sharp as Miharutaki.
Yet beside them, Ina was breathing heavily, her eyes locked on Naoki with a look that wasn't entirely right.
The Charm Card only worked on women. To men, it had no effect.
Miharutaki picked up the dice, trying to block out Naoki's voice. She just needed to stay calm and focused like always.
But the more she resisted, the more intrusive that voice became.
"Miharutaki-sama, you helped me before. I would never lie to you. Isn't it boring, dragging this out round by round? At sixty-four chips, the match would end either way."
It wasn't the logic that rattled her but the voice itself.
Her body reacted strangely.
She closed her eyes and forced herself to roll.
From Naoki's perspective, that flicker of reaction was enough. If Miharutaki had stayed completely composed, she would've been in trouble.
There was a gap in skill but the Charm Card could close that.
Naoki timed her next move carefully. As Miharutaki's hand stirred to roll
"Ah\~ so sad. Miharutaki-sama doesn't trust me?"
That sing-song voice made Miharutaki's roll falter for just a second.
The dice landed.
Naoki held her breath.
Aoi, unfazed, asked, "Sakura, continue?"
Miharutaki didn't reply. She opened the dice cup.
"Three and four seven points!" Ina shouted.
Everyone was stunned. A mistake. Her dice roll was off.
Miharutaki's expression grew colder. She didn't speak.
Aoi raised an eyebrow. "That's unusual. Sakura's never slipped like that."
Had she been in poor condition?
Whatever the reason, since she revealed a total lower than Naoki's, and chose to show it, Miharutaki had to pay double: sixteen chips.
Just like that, the match flipped. Naoki now had 70 chips to Miharutaki's 30.
Before the next round, Naoki heard a quiet voice:
"I'm going to the restroom."
Miharutaki didn't understand why her heart reacted so violently to Naoki's words.
But she knew something was off. Her focus had crumbled, and she needed to recover.
Naoki wasn't the harmless girl she thought she was.
A mere livestock girl wouldn't have this kind of presence or power.
What was her motive for joining the Zensaki Society?
Miharutaki's mind was a mess. But one thing was clear she had to win this gamble.
Bathroom breaks were allowed mid-match. Watching Miharutaki leave, Naoki sensed something bad. The Charm Card's effect duration would probably be disrupted.
Still, she had more cards. It wasn't over.
...
Seven or eight minutes later, Miharutaki returned. She looked even more composed and smelled faintly of perfume.
Trying to dull her senses? Naoki smirked. Scent masking wouldn't fully block the Charm Card.
She used it again.
Miharutaki didn't glance at her. She picked up the dice and rolled with closed eyes.
"Double ones. Two points."
A very low start.
Naoki rolled next.
"Two and four. Six points."
Back to Miharutaki. As before, she ignored Naoki entirely.
"Three and four. Seven points."
Naoki's turn. The pot was now four chips. She considered ending it here.
There were six rounds left. If she averaged five chips per round, she'd win. Maybe it was time to take a small win.
She prayed for a high roll. The dice fell.
Four and five nine.
The pot doubled eight chips. Miharutaki's move.
"Miharutaki-sama\~"
This time, she didn't even flinch. She completed the roll smoothly.
"Double sixes. Twelve points."
Damn. The Charm Card was failing. Could she be building resistance?
Naoki looked closely and saw it.
Earplugs.
That's what the restroom trip was for? Blocking her voice entirely?
What came next was worse. The tides turned. Naoki's rolls were weaker.
Before, she could consistently outscore. Now, sometimes she rolled lower and lost outright.
The Koi Card had limits. It wasn't foolproof. It had already done enough.
Miharutaki won back her lost chips and more.
Naoki couldn't keep up. Even with tricks, she couldn't beat someone of Miharutaki's caliber.
Unless she drew stronger cards combined buffs, game-changers she had no shot.
...
"In the end, Sakura won," Nagi commented, unsurprised.
Even Ina, who had backed Naoki, hadn't expected her to win.
Miharutaki had chosen Naoki as her opponent. In a way, Naoki was just unlucky.
Miharutaki glanced at the chips, then at Naoki.
"Naoki Uzutsugi, you're not yet qualified to join the Zensaki Society."
She couldn't understand why her heart had fluttered before. Maybe it was just part of Naoki's psychological tactics.
Some said deception was a skill in gambling but Miharutaki, honest to a fault, disliked such tricks.
Aoi clapped. "Great match. Sakura won, but I think Naoki's performance wasn't bad at all. She's a first-year. She still has room to grow."
That left the door open. Naoki could still become a councilor in the future.
Thus ended the visit to the Zensaki Society.
But not for Naoki.
"Miharutaki-senpai!" Naoki chased after her.
Miharutaki stopped. "What is it?"
Sensing her coldness, Naoki's voice softened. "Were you trying to stop me from joining the Zensaki Society?"
Miharutaki didn't answer. "You're not ready."
A standard response but was that all?
Naoki smiled. "Then, will you gamble with me one more time?"
"It's over," Miharutaki replied flatly.
"What if I said if I lose, I'll give up on joining for good?"
Miharutaki paused.
At first, she thought Naoki was too naïve. She didn't want her dragged into the Zensaki Society's dark plans.
As Aoi's longtime friend, she knew his ambitions. He'd use anyone to achieve them.
He wanted to be Student Council President. He'd do anything.
But failure would bring ruin. The Society's rebellion was dangerous.
Councilors would delay the Student Council while livestock acted as pawns forced formal matches.
If councilors lost, the pawns were doomed.
She didn't want Naoki tangled up in that mess.
But over time, she realized Naoki wasn't innocent. She had power. She wasn't livestock material.
She even suspected Naoki might be with the Student Council.
Still, she didn't want to see the Society fall or Aoi hurt.
...
Seeing her hesitate, Naoki knew she was close.
She didn't care about the Society. She cared about Miharutaki.
They entered an empty room.
"Let's bet ten chips. One round should be enough."
Naoki readied the chips, dice, and cup.
She wanted to test something.
Earlier, Miharutaki had used perfume and earplugs to block the Charm Card. But it had still worked.
Naoki rolled casually one and two. Three points.
No Koi Card this time. This was her own luck.
Miharutaki studied her, curious.
Naoki had lost badly earlier. What could she possibly do now?
Cheating?
That was the only explanation.
But for now, she saw nothing.
Miharutaki rolled four points.
Naoki rolled again. Three and four. Seven points.
Back to Miharutaki.
Two fours. Eight points.
Naoki shook the dice.
One and four.
Silence.
They both stared at the result.
Game over. Naoki lost.
But she didn't panic.
"Redo," she muttered and activated her Replay Card.
Time rewound to before her roll.
She rolled again five and six. Eleven.
Game continued.
Now Miharutaki only needed twelve to win.
Naoki used the Charm Card again.
Miharutaki's heart skipped.
Why did her pulse spike every time this girl spoke?
Then rustling.
Naoki was slowly removing her jacket.
"What are you doing?"
"It's hot. No rules against removing clothes."
Miharutaki's body trembled. That faint fragrance again.
She tried to focus but saw Naoki unbuttoning her shirt.
"Stop "
"It's just two buttons. We're both girls."
The glimpse of pale skin made Miharutaki look away.
But it was too late. Her thoughts spiraled.
Why was she reacting this way?
The forbidden feelings she had long denied surged forward.
Naoki undid more buttons.
Miharutaki's thoughts scattered.
The dice fell double ones.
Naoki beamed.
"Senpai, your skills need some work."
She won.
Miharutaki blushed deeply. "Naoki Uzutsugi, you are..."
Who removes clothing mid-gamble?!
Raised in a strict, proper family, Miharutaki found such behavior outrageous.
Naoki redid her buttons casually. "It's not my fault. You were distracted all on your own."
A direct hit.
How could she be attracted to someone so unrefined?
System: Congratulations! Miharutaki Sakura's affection +10!
Classic tsundere. She clearly liked what she saw.