Chapter 6: Hikigaya Hachiman Is No Small Fry
'You saw that there was something special between Jabami Yumeko and me, and mistakenly thought that I liked her, so you wanted to arouse the aggressiveness in my male genes in front of her.'
'But unfortunately, I'm not someone who can be provoked that easily.'
"I'm sorry, I don't know how to gamble." Hikigaya Hachiman rejected Saotome's proposal coldly.
"Hah, you don't know how?!"
Saotome pulled a grotesquely exaggerated face of horror, pointing at Hikigaya and laughing mockingly. Her laughter stirred the mood among the nearby girls, and the air was suddenly filled with amusement.
"Sorry, sorry, I didn't expect someone in this school who actually can't gamble."
"Hikigaya-kun looked like some cold, elite gambler, but it turns out he's just a little small fry who doesn't even know how to play~"
"Small fry~ Small fry~"
The chorus of "small fry" echoed all around Hikigaya.
"Even lower than a dumb dog—Hikigaya-kun, you're not that pathetic, right~?"
"Ahahaha, I'm dying, this is hilarious."
Hikigaya let out a helpless sigh. Such childish provocation. His heart remained unmoved, and in fact, he found it kind of funny. This level of taunt didn't even scratch his defenses—after all, back in elementary school, he had already experienced far more humiliating things.
For example: his name wasn't even in the graduation album. He was called "Toad-face Hikigaya"...
But there was another important reason why Hikigaya hated gambling.
Back in elementary school, a girl lost a rock-paper-scissors game and was forced to confess to him. He happily accepted her love letter, only to find out it was a punishment from her losing a game, and the letter was ghostwritten by another boy...
Still, once he decided to aim for victory, personal likes and dislikes could be cast aside.
He planned to allow the mockery and doubt to accumulate, and when it reached its peak—he would crush them all in one blow. That way, the fame and benefits would be maximized.
But—a voice cut through his scheming.
"That's enough."
Yumeko's eyes were cold, her pupils flickering with a dangerous red light. Her princess-cut hair, normally exuding a refined young lady's aura, now looked dark and menacing from her lowered gaze.
Saotome felt a jolt in her heart. What the hell was with this girl? All she did was mock Hikigaya a little—why was she pulling such a terrifying expression?
"W-what is it?"
"Saotome-san, how about gambling with me instead? I know a little bit about gambling~"
"Huh?"
This girl...
"Of course, I'd love to."
Saotome smiled sweetly and clapped her hands. In the next instant, classmates who had previously been scattered now rushed into the classroom like hyenas drawn to rotting flesh.
"Is it starting?"
"Looks like Mary's gonna gamble with the transfer student!"
"Are they playing that game?"
Hikigaya frowned. "Jabami-san, I honestly don't mind..."
He couldn't let Yumeko steal this chance to make a name for herself.
But before he could finish speaking, a soft finger gently pressed against his lips.
"Shhh~ Hikigaya-kun, you're curious too, aren't you? About this school's secrets."
"Well, yeah, but there's no need to do this for me... Saotome-san clearly came prepared. This situation doesn't look good for you."
"It's not for you—it's for us, Hikigaya-kun. We're friends."
"Precisely because there's risk, that's what makes gambling so fun, isn't it?"
Yumeko leaned close to his ear, her whisper like the devil's murmur, disturbing his thoughts.
Tch... what the hell are those two muttering about this whole time?
Saotome Mary was growing more and more irritated. Hikigaya Hachiman was her chosen prey—and now they were completely ignoring her.
"Heh... fine. I'll just turn her into a housepet first. That'll bait Hikigaya into my trap." Mary plotted viciously in her heart while maintaining a kind smile as she began explaining the game's rules.
Eventually, Hikigaya let out a sigh and subtly stepped back, giving Yumeko the center seat.
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[Game Rules:]
• Among the 30 classmates, each draws a card and draws either Rock, Paper, or Scissors on it.
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• These 30 cards are sealed into an opaque, closed box.
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• Yumeko and Mary each draw three cards from the box.
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• They pick one card at a time and play Rock-Paper-Scissors. If the gestures match, it's a tie and the round continues.
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• After all three cards are played, if no winner is determined, the match is a draw.
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• Unlike regular rock-paper-scissors, the players cannot choose freely. It is, in theory, the fairest game possible.
•
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"How about it?"
Yumeko smiled, her hands clasped before her chest in a prayerful gesture. "Sounds so fun! I definitely want to give it a try."
Heh, gotcha.
Mary smirked and rudely snatched Suzui Ryota's dog tag, barking at him: "Hey, dumb dog—go get the chips."
But when her gaze returned to Yumeko, her expression instantly softened, switching faces so quickly that Hikigaya was amazed.
He stood silently behind Yumeko, observing everything.
"So, Jabami-san—how much are you betting?"
"Hmm... for the first round, let's try 1.2 million yen."
Once the two were seated, the remaining 28 classmates (including Hikigaya) drew gestures on opaque cards and dropped them into the box.
Hikigaya returned to stand behind Yumeko, brain spinning rapidly.
His math hadn't been great in elementary school, but once he decided to become a winner in life, he had worked to shore up that weakness. Plus, a strange memory in his head gave him a sudden epiphany—
A seasoned mystery novelist must be skilled in all kinds of calculations. When all the clues are out, what matters is how fast you compute.
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'Unlike regular rock-paper-scissors, the odds of drawing one Rock, one Paper, and one Scissors are 22.22%.
Getting two of the same gesture is 68.91%.
All three the same is just 8.87%.'
'Each card type has roughly equal chances. On the surface, this seems fair.'
'But—'
"Rock beats Scissors! Yumeko wins!"
"Rock versus Rock, tie!"
"Scissors versus Rock—Mary wins!"
'Lose small, break even or win big—clearly meant to bait bigger bets.'
'In high-stakes matches, Mary always plays matching cards. That's not normal. If you have two Rocks, it suggests Rock is the dominant card in the box. That means your opponent's odds of drawing Rock are higher too. So logically, you'd play the odd one first to avoid a draw or loss.'
Hikigaya raised his gaze and discreetly observed every student watching the match. His focus landed particularly on Suzui Ryota, standing to Yumeko's left. He showed a thoughtful expression.
Their faces, whether fearful or uneasy, revealed everything to Hikigaya's sharp eye.
"Ta-da! I'll just take this 1 million yen now." Mary cheerfully pulled Yumeko's chips to her side.
"Mary is amazing! She won 1 million just like that!"
"Looks like this transfer student isn't that special after all."
"Well then, let's keep going." Mary could no longer contain her smugness. "What's wrong? Are you scared now? Can't blame you—you already lost 1 million, after all."
"No, no." Yumeko's face remained neutral as she calmly replied, "Now is when the real match begins."
"For the next round, I'll bet two more chips."
Yumeko picked up two 10,000-yen chips and pushed them to the center of the table.
Pffft—
Someone in the crowd let out a laugh, and the air was once again thick with amusement.
The situation on the field... was not looking good. Hikigaya sighed.
'216 chips versus 24 chips... Jabami-san has already lost far too much.'
"Well then, let's continue—"
Mary's smile vanished as her gaze turned predatory.
'Next, I'll turn you into a housepet for good!'