227 Juraku X Yumeko Jabami
"But… are you two really going with this bet? It seems kind of strange."
"I had to cram two days' worth of entertainment industry knowledge just to barely understand what you were talking about,"
Yomozuki Runa, with two huge dark circles under her eyes, complained unhappily.
As someone obsessed with video games and completely outside the entertainment industry, she had no idea how difficult it was for a Japanese artist to break into Hollywood and appeal to Western audiences.
Let alone the West—even rising from a school idol to participating in the Kōhaku Uta Gassen or performing at Tokyo Dome was already incredibly hard.
"Of course."
"Thanks for your hard work, Runa!" Yumemi Yumemite, dressed glamorously, threw herself into Runa's arms with a tight hug, her voice laced with sugary affection.
"Everyone, let's wait until after my LIVE performance to start the gamble."
Yumemi winked and blew a kiss as she directed Hikigaya's group to the front row seats.
Even her fan club president, Makoto Shingenji, was assigned to the second row. Perhaps subconsciously, she felt that even an opponent like Hikigaya had more right to be close to her than her otaku fans.
Hikigaya Hachiman crossed his arms and forced himself to sit calmly in the seat meant for him.
Currently, to his left was Yumeko, and to his right was Juraku-senpai… truly a precarious position.
Perhaps even before Yumemi's performance ended, he might already be in trouble.
People in the venue gradually settled into place.
The live stream staff arranged by Yumemi were also ready.
The indoor lights of the arena slowly dimmed until it was pitch black.
With the elevation differences between seats, whatever anyone tried to do in this darkness would be virtually undetectable.
At this moment, Hikigaya's mood might have been just as tense as Yumemi's on stage.
The spotlight focused on Yumemi on stage.
Holding the microphone, her pink twin-tails bounced as she jumped, and her voice—at least to an untrained ear—was quite good, echoing through the venue.
But among those present, only Rurichou Nadeshiko and Hikigaya Hachiman were true expert.
Rokujou Eneru, as head of the photography club, took on the streaming task.
After arranging her club members to fix the camera positions, she raised her own portable camera hanging from her neck and began snapping away at Yumemi.
Clamping her thighs together slightly and gazing at the youthful Yumemi through the lens, she licked her lips. "So good... idol shots. I really want to get some."
Although Yumemi's allure to her now was just enough to cause a mild tingle of interest, it didn't diminish her value as a collectible.
If Yumemi truly became a top-tier star in the future, those shots would have immense, ahem, "impact potential."
After all, the higher an idol's status, the greater their... appeal for "pumping," right?
'I've got to find a way to get her involved in a gambling match with my photography club.' Rokujou made up her mind.
After capturing several beautiful shots from different angles, she reluctantly moved her lens away.
Out of instinct, she wanted to see what Hikigaya Hachiman was doing at the moment.
As the man who had beaten her, would he show any signs of nervousness before gambling with another woman?
The spotlight on stage faintly illuminated the front row. Through a fleeting glimpse, Rokujou's breath caught.
Her face gradually flushed red, her lips pursed tightly, both nervous and unable to look away.
What did she see?
She saw Yumeko Jabami and Chairwoman Juraku, without anyone noticing, simultaneously reach their delicate white hands… toward the gear stick.
In the vast, enclosed arena, they began "learning to drive stick shift."
And the problem with manual transmission... is that it requires frequent gear changes. Moreover, with two people operating the gear stick at once, their movements were a little clumsy.
It was as if Hachiman's legs naturally tensed and relaxed, as though he were stepping on a clutch.
The three of them moved in unison, seemingly caught in a bizarre harmony.
Only Hikigaya, the person involved, knew that the two girls' gear-shifting techniques were extremely proficient—no illegal operations. As for why…
They were seamlessly coordinating: one controlling the top of the gear stick (the part with the numbers), and the other manipulating the gear boot at the bottom.
Perfect cooperation, dazzling synchronicity.
Hikigaya took a deep, sharp breath—again and again.
The transmission was starting to struggle to keep up with the pace of the shifting. In the darkness, Hachiman quickly reached out his hand to stop their now-deformed driving motions.
At this rate, he might accidentally mistake the brake for the gas and slam right into something.
Fortunately, since they were in the front row, the girls couldn't afford to get too bold even if they wanted to tease him more.
Yumeko, being stopped, regretfully withdrew her hand and, in the darkness, raised her recently "used" fingers to her red lips and gave them a lick.
Juraku Sakiko, meanwhile, brought her hand to her nose, took a deep sniff, then softly bit her lip with a seductive look, as if she might devour Hachiman whole.
She seemed thoughtful—just now, she had definitely felt that she wasn't the only one shifting the gear stick.
Which meant… Yumeko Jabami...
This scene didn't escape the eyes of Yumemi, who was still singing and dancing on stage. Her face involuntarily turned red, and her voice even faltered slightly.
Tch! Shameful!
Still, this might actually be good.
To think he'd weaken himself before gambling with me—Hikigaya Hachiman is definitely going to lose!
That Yumeko Jabami is just too lewd! To do something like that with Juraku-senpai... If someone like that became an idol, her potential would be limitless!
Who would expect someone who looks so innocent and sweet like Yumeko to do such shocking things in private?
The greater the contrast, the more perfect for being an idol!
Yumeko Jabami… she's the same kind of idol as me. Yumemi's heart was burning with excitement.
Time passed painfully slow.
Yumemi's live show was finally nearing its end.
She was now drenched in fragrant sweat.
Her fan club waved their glowsticks in perfect unison, shouting their synchronized cheers.
At last, with a long, drawn-out note, Yumemi bowed and ended her live performance.
Holding the microphone and suppressing her tension and excitement, she said:
"Minna-san, it's such a shame, but Yumemi-chan's LIVE has now come to an end~ But! The special bet with Hikigaya-kun is only just beginning!"
"Now, please welcome the Hundred Flower King's Fierce Tiger—Hikigaya Hachiman-kun! Come on stage——!"
Yumemi's tone was exaggerated, perhaps a professional habit as an idol—no matter what she said, she instinctively tried to hype up the audience.
Immediately, the spotlight focused on Hikigaya, who had just finished his "volunteer driving lesson."
Hikigaya Hachiman stood up with a blank expression.
228: A Battle of Acting – Psychological Warfare Between X and the Idol
"Finally, it's Hikigaya's turn to take the stage."
"Right? I thought Yumemi would be like those celebrities on TV, but seeing her today, she's really just a pretty-looking upperclassman."
Hikigaya Hachiman stood next to Yumemi Yumeko with both hands in his pockets and an emotionless expression on his face.
But only Yumeko noticed that Hikigaya's lips were moving ever so slightly — he was muttering prime numbers.
'Hachiman... he really still gets nervous, huh?' Yumeko smiled faintly.
This wasn't like playing the national-level theft game.
Back then, Hikigaya wasn't facing an audience.
But in this closed-off venue, he had to stand before 200 live spectators.
Perhaps this was one of his few weaknesses — stage fright.
However, thanks to years of training, he had developed a technique to forcibly divert his attention by reciting prime numbers.
Yumeko's gear-shifting antics earlier weren't entirely out of self-indulgence either.
In a way, driving helped alleviate Hikigaya's psychological pressure.
"Many of you might already know who this classmate beside me is, but for those who don't, let me introduce him—— Ever since transferring here last month, he's made an unstoppable ascent — the fierce tiger of Hyakkaou Academy, Year 1, Group A: Hikigaya Hachiman!"
"And today, I will be challenging Hikigaya in a gamble that adheres to Hyakkaou Academy's official rules!"
"With a wager of 50 million yen — winner takes all!"
This was an extra layer added to their private bet — since the private terms couldn't be made public, they tacked on the money to align with public gambling standards.
This amount of money was small change to both of them.
"Now, let me explain the rules of the gamble!"
[Idol Election Battle] [Best of Five] [A 9-sided die will be rolled to determine the game to be played between me and Hikigaya]
[The possible games include:] 1. Extreme Joker Draw: Three cards, one is the joker. The player holding the cards wins if they prevent the other from drawing the joker. 2. Fan Knowledge Challenge: A seat number is randomly chosen. Both sides guess a month; the one closer to the birthday of the person in that seat wins. 6. Singing Contest: Sing a song, and the audience gives anonymous scores. The higher average score wins. 9. Fan Power Showdown: Post a support message on your social media account. Whoever gains more support in five minutes wins!
"Yumemi-chan will now roll the die to determine the game."
Yumemi Yumeko stepped to the center of the stage, holding the large die with exaggerated flair, and gave it a dramatic toss.
"Okay!"
The die spun rapidly before landing on side 1.
"The first round will be Extreme Joker Draw." Yumemi opened the prop box handed to her by her assistant, revealing brand-new, unopened decks of cards.
"These were sponsored by classmate Ō from the first year, everyone~"
Yumemi casually drew a deck, opened it on the spot, and skillfully shuffled the cards.
Soon, she held three cards — including the joker — in her hand, smiling brightly at Hikigaya. "Alright then, Hikigaya-kun, you have a one-in-three chance of winning this round~"
Then, Yumemi discreetly turned off her mic and, in a low mocking tone, whispered: "Nervous, aren't you, Hikigaya-kun~? If you lose, that girlfriend who just did those things for you might have to become an idol like me~"
"Once you become an idol, you'll have to smile at all those disgusting people in the audience, just like me."
Hikigaya glanced at Yumemi with eyes hidden beneath messy bangs, completely unimpressed. Such low-level provocation had no effect on him anymore.
Inside, he was utterly calm — he almost found it funny.
He reached out and grabbed the leftmost card, directly asking: "Is it this one?"
"Huh? Wh-What are you saying?!"
Hikigaya observed Yumemi's reaction, but without hesitation, moved to the middle card: "What about this one?"
This time, Yumemi realized what he was doing — the bastard was trying to read her expressions to determine which card was the joker.
Having seen through Hikigaya's tactics, Yumemi immediately activated her acting skills. She slightly curled the corners of her mouth, revealing what she believed to be a flawless sweet smile.
Heh, trying to read my micro-expressions? Bring it on!
"I see." Without pause, Hikigaya drew the last card without even looking at it and turned it toward the camera.
The audience erupted.
"Huh? He drew the joker just like that?!"
"How did he do it? He looked so certain the joker was the last one. Couldn't be cheating, right?"
"Idiot, that's cold reading — reading micro-expressions and unconscious movements to infer someone's true thoughts!"
Juraku crossed her arms, clearly impressed.
Yumemi's expression control was top-tier in Hyakkaou Academy. When she smiled, it was almost impossible to read her face.
She figured Hikigaya would use an aggressive tactic to eliminate one wrong choice, raising his odds to 50%. But she didn't expect he'd actually see through her completely.
"How... how did you know? I didn't show any signs!"
"I told you... your acting is too exaggerated." Hikigaya twirled the joker in his hand.
Yumemi's acting might be excellent, but Hikigaya's lie detection was world-class.
He was a master of human observation — no detail escaped his eyes.
"Just from carefully watching your live performances, anyone could tell. When you smile to lie or hide your true feelings, the curve on the right side of your mouth is 3% higher than the left."
"You probably didn't even notice it yourself, but that 3% might be why you'll never be more than an average school idol. Your smile doesn't feel sincere. Remember to fix that."
Hikigaya's words pierced Yumemi's fragile heart like knives.
She lowered her head, face contorted in frustration, fists clenched tightly.
"Don't joke around with me! Speaking to me with that condescending tone, how arrogant can you be?!"
"You just won one round! Don't act like some all-knowing victor!"
"All 19 games were designed in my favor. You got lucky this time — I won't lose a single round from now on!"
Hikigaya shrugged nonchalantly at her flustered rant. He bent down, picked up the nine-sided die, and inspected it carefully — it was an ordinary die.
So Yumemi isn't the type to rig props — she just designed the games themselves to be in her favor. Fair enough, he thought.
If it were him, he'd have swapped the die for a remotely controlled one to guarantee wins.
Having watched the first round, Yomozuki Runafinally remembered her role as Chair of the Management Committee. She hopped onto the stage and grabbed the mic to host the next round.
She tossed the die on Hikigaya's behalf. Under the spotlight, the die slowly revealed its number: 2.
Yumemi's lips curled up uncontrollably. Her idol facade vanished, and her nostrils flared in giddy excitement.
Victory is mine!!
To sign up for today's live event, attendees had to fill out personal info: name, age, birthday, class, contact info. As the venue manager, Yumemi had exclusive access to this data.
Instead of preparing for the fan event, she had spent the past two days memorizing all this information.
But... it wasn't an absolute win.
The variable lay in the front-row audience: the Student Council and Hikigaya's fan club. She had the birthdays of everyone in the council except the president and Runa. But the fan club girls didn't fill out any info.
Assume there are 10 unknowns.
She remembered 290 out of 300. Only 10 were unknown — meaning she had a 1-in-30 chance of losing. In other words, she was almost guaranteed to win!
Hikigaya narrowed his eyes. This was one of the few games he really didn't want to draw — the odds were just too low.
But not zero.
He subtly glanced at the answer board. Once the target was picked, both sides would write down a guess. This meant he could try to deduce what Yumemi was writing based on her hand movements.
His best hope was a draw to push the match into another round. But unless the target was someone in the front row, he'd likely lose.
"Ooh, it's this fun one? Let me do it!" Yomozuki Runa excitedly pressed a button, making numbers flicker rapidly on the screen.
"Alright Hikigaya, say 'stop!'"
"Stop!"
Runa instantly hit the button. The final number was: 009.
Yumemi's smile froze — she was on the verge of a breakdown.
"WHY?! WHY?! WHY?! A 1-in-30 chance and Hikigaya hits it?!"
Did he rig the program? No — I had it made myself. No external access. It's fully random!
The spotlight moved rapidly, focusing on an unsuspecting... Jabami Yumeko.
No way... it's Yumeko?!
On stage, Hikigaya met Yumeko's eyes and smiled.
He was a firm atheist and hated relying on luck — but maybe, just maybe, he had fate on his side today.
Out of 300 people... and it lands on Yumeko.
"Wow, it's Yumeko! Bad luck for you, Yumemi-chan."
"But it can't be helped. Now both of you, please write down your guessed month."
What do I do?!
Yumemi felt like she had fallen into an ice bath — drenched in cold sweat. If she lost this round, she'd be one round away from defeat.
As if guided by fate, she looked up and saw Hikigaya with pen in hand, making small circular movements.
Yumemi's pupils contracted.
There are only 12 months in a year.
Among the digits for months, only 6, 8, and 9 involve circular strokes.
Judging by the size of his arm movement, she could rule out 8. So it had to be 6 or 9.
Which one?!
Hope surged within her. She wiped away the sweat and focused intently on Hikigaya's face.
As an idol with great acting skills, she was also an expert at reading others.
But no matter how hard she looked, she couldn't read Hikigaya's expression. No surprise — his acting was good enough to fool people in bed now.
Tch, this guy...
Yumemi gave up on reading him directly — time to analyze his psychology.
This prideful guy was surprisingly cautious when gambling. He had beaten top players, even Miboumi Aoi.
Would someone like him really carelessly reveal his writing motions?
No. It must be intentional.
A normal person would think he wrote 6.
But he knows I'm better than normal. He knows I'd doubt that. So in the end, he expects me to write 9!
Yes, that must be it! I've fully grasped his thought process now!
He actually wrote 6!!
Smirking, Yumemi convinced herself she had the upper hand in this psychological war. Without hesitation, she boldly wrote down: 6.