Although Yukino was great at _Slay the Spire_, this was her first time playing card games like _Dou Dizhu_. And unlike solo games, this one required teamwork—when playing as the "farmer" side, your partner's cooperation was crucial.
Otherwise, even a good hand could be wasted if your teammate didn't play smart.
Unfortunately for her, Eriri was far from a reliable teammate. With her head still not quite in the game, she accidentally sabotaged Yukino multiple times, turning what could've been a winning streak into a steady stream of losses.
Letting out a deep breath with her eyes closed, Yukino finally put down the eight cards left in her hand and turned to Utaha.
"Senpai, it's time to switch landlords now, right?"
"Mhm, time for a new round. Eriri, you're up next."
The rotation order had been decided earlier based on who drew the higher cards—Utaha went first, followed by Eriri and Yukino.
And Eriri, completely oblivious to her subpar card skills, puffed up proudly.
"Heh, finally my turn! I'll show you all what I've got!"
Then she began to clumsily shuffle and deal the cards.
Aoba, who'd been watching the whole thing unfold, leaned over to Ichin and whispered,
"Ichin-kun, shouldn't you at least give Eriri a heads-up? Now that she's going up against Utaha and Yukino on the same team... she's doomed."
Ichin held back a chuckle and whispered back,
"It's fine, it'll be more fun this way."
They exchanged a glance—both breaking into devilish grins.
When it came to this kind of playful mischief, Aoba was probably the closest match to Ichin and Utaha in the studio. The only difference was, while Ichin and Utaha were proudly wicked in the open, Aoba usually hid her little demon side—only letting it slip out on occasion.
And sure enough, it didn't even take ten minutes before the number of sticky notes on Eriri's face had doubled. She was sprawled out on the carpet in defeat.
Even though it was winter, the room's heating was on, so Eriri—now down to just her form-fitting sweater and a short skirt—didn't feel cold at all.
Lying flat on her back and staring blankly at the ceiling, Eriri muttered,
"Switch me out. I'm done with this game."
Aoba chuckled, walked over, and gently peeled the sticky notes from Eriri's face. Then she helped her up and said cheerfully,
"Then let me take over for you! I've already figured out the rules. Time for revenge!"
"Really?!"
Eriri's eyes sparkled with hope as she looked at Aoba with eager anticipation.
"Alright! I'll leave it to you! What do you want to drink? I'll go get it!"
"Juice, please!"
"You got it!"
With a spring in her step, Eriri went to grab a bottle of juice and poured Aoba a glass, sitting down beside her excitedly.
"Ooh! That hand looks good!"
"Hehe, shh, don't say it out loud!"
Aoba had drawn a great starting hand. Thanks to the classic "beginner's luck," she was now the landlord and had some powerful cards—four 2s, which were second only to the double jokers (the "bomb"), along with several other strong combinations like straights and pairs. If she played smart, she could clear her entire hand in one go.
On the other side, Utaha and Yukino didn't have particularly strong cards this round.
But that didn't mean they were easy to beat. Both were razor-sharp players, and after a few rounds of playing together, they'd already figured out how to work around a weak hand with clever tactics.
"Triple 4s with a pair," Aoba declared.
"Triple 5s with a pair," Utaha countered.
"Triple Kings with a pair!" Aoba said smugly, trumping Utaha's play and feeling confident about her victory.
The next second, Yukino's calm voice rang out:
"Four 3s. Bomb."
Utaha followed up immediately, "Pass."
A bomb?
Aoba frowned, glanced at her cards, and after a quick moment of thought, countered without hesitation,
"Four 2s. Bomb!"
"Pass."
"Heh! Finally my turn to strike!"
Grinning, Aoba played out a straight, clearly expecting this to be her big win.
"Pass."
"Bomb."
"Eh—Bomb?"
Aoba's eyes widened in disbelief. She and Eriri both stared at Utaha's move—four Queens.
"You still had a bomb left?!"
Seeing Aoba's shocked expression, Utaha smiled slyly and slowly drew out five more cards.
"Aoba, I doubt you've got another bomb left. I've been keeping track."
"Ugh—Eriri, I'm sorry!"
Defeated. Despite thinking she had the win in the bag, Aoba lost her first round, and two sticky notes were slapped onto her face.
"Ughhh! No way—I want a rematch!"
She hastily gathered up the cards and started shuffling again with a determined look.
The battle had gotten seriously intense.
Ichin, no longer interested in spectating, took a few sips of tea and wandered over to check out the ghost card game happening on the other side. After that, he made his way into the kitchen to start preparing the evening feast.
A little while later, Utaha, Rin, and Yun Iijima joined him to help out.
With so many guests today, the menu was huge, and even with four people working together, it still felt a bit chaotic.
Thankfully, they had started early, and by 6 p.m., everything was finally ready.
The table was packed with a diverse spread of dishes, surprising even veterans like Sonoko Machida and Shizuka Hiratsuka, who were attending the party for the first time.
Staring at the feast, Hiratsuka commented to Ichin,
"You guys really don't hold back. I've seen restaurants with less impressive spreads than this."
In addition to Japanese and Chinese dishes, Hiratsuka even spotted a few Western-style ones—it was a truly luxurious banquet.
"Well, it's Christmas. We won't be gathering like this for New Year, so today's got to be special."
After everyone poured their drinks, Ichin, as the host, stood up with a glass in hand and said,
"Alright, no need for long speeches—cheers!"
"Cheers!"
With a smile, Haruno picked up a couple of ribs and dropped them into her bowl. After a bite, her eyes lit up in delight.
Leaning over to her little sister, who also had a faint smile at the corner of her lips, Haruno whispered,
"You know, I thought you wouldn't enjoy an atmosphere like this. So... it's just the old parties you didn't like?"
"That kind of environment... I don't think you liked it much either, did you? You just never showed it."
Taking a sip of juice, Yukino added softly,
"But this place is different. I don't have to worry so much. I can actually relax."
"Is that so? Then I'm glad."
Haruno nodded thoughtfully, remembering their earlier conversation. She said no more and started happily enjoying the feast.
After devouring a couple pieces of fried chicken and grilled short ribs, Hiratsuka stared down at the cola in her glass and grumbled,
"Seriously? At a Christmas party, I'm drinking soda? Don't we have any alcohol?"
"We sure do~"
Hazuki smirked.
"What'll it be? Sake, beer, red wine? Or... maybe baijiu?"
Ichin froze for a second at that last word.
"Hazuki-san... when did you bring that?"
"I've had it ready for ages—it's downstairs in the car. Let's go, Shizuka, we'll grab it!"
Ichin opened his mouth to stop them as the two headed out, but in the end, he said nothing.
Ah well, he thought. _If they want to drink, let them drink... just keep an eye on it._
....
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