17 - Hikigaya's Decisive Move
"Wh-what's going on?!"
Sumeragi Itsuki instinctively took a few steps back, but she quickly realized that this was her turf, and there was nothing to fear.
She forced herself to remain calm and pulled out two new decks of cards from her bag. "How about we use brand new cards?"
"Sure," Hikigaya replied indifferently.
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.
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This is madness!
Suzui Ryouta wasn't sure whether he was going crazy or if the world had gone mad.
From gambling money to gambling bodies, these people were insane. Even in such a chaotic school environment, where gambling was a regular occurrence, it was rare to see a game that could harm someone's body. Shouldn't someone be stopping this kind of gambling?
He looked confusedly toward the first floor, expecting to hear someone stop the madness. But the clapping and cheers from the crowd only grew louder, and the eyes of those watching were filled with anticipation.
Everyone was crazy!
"Someone stop them! This is too chaotic! This isn't a joke!" Suzui Ryouta thought about the twenty fingers, their nails ripped off and leaving bloody, gaping holes, and he shuddered in fear.
He couldn't help but hug his own arms, stepping slowly toward the far end of the room, trying to distance himself from the gambling abyss.
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"Deal the cards," Hikigaya said coldly.
He stood next to Yumeko, both of their hands synchronously placed on the table as they focused on the cards flying onto the surface in a chaotic manner.
The cards were disorganized, without any clear pattern.
"Why don't you two go first~?"
Look, look, my collection is about to grow again.
Sumeragi Itsuki couldn't contain her inner excitement.
The reason she was playing this "Triple Memory" was to prevent any gambling experts from winning against her, or anyone who might rely on the unpredictable factor of luck. Winning against her through memory alone was impossible.
No one could remember all these card combinations! No one!
And trying to cheat by secretly swapping cards was also impossible. She had memorized all the markings, and she could immediately call out anyone who made a mistake or tried to cheat.
Her opponents couldn't win by skill, and they couldn't cheat—while she could manipulate them like puppets in her hands.
This was her domain—Triple Memory!
As long as she knew the patterns, whether it was poker or Old Maid, she was certain to win. Though it had taken a lot of effort to memorize the markings, the rewards were worth it. She had already won countless fingernails from others.
And just as Sumeragi Itsuki was sinking into her victorious delusions...
Hikigaya spoke.
"Yumeko, what suit do you like?"
"Huh? Suit? I guess Hearts."
"Then let's start with the 'Ace of Hearts.'"
"?!"
Sumeragi Itsuki's smile froze. What were these two talking about? Starting with the Ace of Hearts? Could it be... no, no way, they're just bluffing!
But was that really the case?
Sumeragi Itsuki didn't dare to blink, her cerulean eyes now showing signs of panic.
It—It really is the Ace of Hearts. Is it luck?!
Hikigaya flipped over an Ace of Hearts with each hand, while Yumeko stood obediently beside him, stepping aside to let him take the lead, silently revealing her own Ace of Hearts.
"Next is the 2 of Hearts," Hikigaya continued, his actions synchronized with Yumeko as they both reached for the table, flipping the next card.
This time, Sumeragi Itsuki was truly alarmed.
Because the marked cards on the table hadn't disappeared. This meant that these two had really remembered the positions of the cards!
How, how is this possible?!
"By the way, Sumeragi-san, I heard your family is the largest toy manufacturer in Japan, right?"
"How much of the shares do you own?"
"One hundred billion? Or two hundred billion? In comparison, a twenty million yen bet should hardly faze you."
"But, why do you look so terrified?"
Hikigaya Hachiman's words seemed to have a strange magical power, striking directly at her heart, lashing her to the bone, sending a chill down Sumeragi Itsuki's spine.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I'll give you a piece of advice—"
The next words came from Jabami Yumeko: "When you're gambling with your family's business, you should be prepared for the consequences."
Sumeragi Itsuki turned to Yumeko. The half-squinted snake-like eyes she saw made her feel a strange wet sensation between her legs.
She was afraid.
"Hah? What is she saying? My family's business?"
"No way!"
Sumeragi Itsuki's pupils contracted sharply.
Had they noticed?! The special patterns on the backs of the playing cards?!
Indeed, if it were exposed that the daughter of the toy manufacturer was cheating using her own company's playing cards, the entire company would be at risk of collapsing.
How much have they figured out? Have they noticed the disappearing patterns?!
No, I absolutely cannot let them find out. Once they make a mistake, I'll flip all 78 cards at once, giving them no chance to breathe. I'll win the game and then recover all the cards.
'When It's my turn... When it's my turn... When it's my turn...'
Sumeragi Itsuki's pupils were shaking violently, and she kept praying in her heart that the two of them would stop, giving her a chance to act.
"Sumeragi-san, you're hoping that it's your turn so you can collect the special cards, aren't you?"
Her wish was granted.
Hikigaya Hachiman and Yumeko Jabami finally stopped before flipping the last card.
In perfect synchrony, they each reached for opposite ends of the table and picked up two cards.
The air seemed to freeze, filled with an endless silence and darkness. Only Sumeragi Itsuki could see—on the backs of the cards that Hikigaya and Yumeko held—those special patterns that were like the very soul of her life, slowly vanishing like smoke.
Hikigaya Hachiman and Jabami Yumeko stood back-to-back, like the two sides of death itself.
"This is the last one, the King of Hearts."
Hikigaya Hachiman muttered quietly, mercilessly flipping the card over.
The King of Hearts—
At this point, 77 cards had already been revealed.
This meant that once the final King of Hearts was revealed, the game would officially be over.
Hikigaya extended his hand toward the center of the table, pinching the last card with his index and middle fingers.
Sumeragi Itsuki felt like she was suffocating. As the card was lifted into the air, she felt as though an invisible hand had wrapped around her fragile throat, and with just the slightest pressure, it could easily strangle her.
"Sumeragi-san, I'm sure you don't want to bear the stigma of being caught cheating so easily, right?"
At that moment, Yumeko Jabami, with her eyes glowing red, silently approached Sumeragi Itsuki from behind.
She placed both hands on Itsuki's shoulders, stabilizing her trembling body.
"How about it, shall we gamble again? This time, let's bet all of our nails~"
"If you lose all your nails, your fingers will be so heavy they'll start bleeding. With such serious injuries, you probably won't be able to live a normal life again, huh?"
"Come on, let's bathe in blood together, Sumeragi-san!!"