Winning or losing didn't matter to Naoki.
What mattered was which outcome would benefit her strategy more.
Right now, a capture target was personally challenging her—and clearly didn't want her joining the Zensaki Society.
If Naoki wanted to get closer to Miharu Taki Sakura, she might need to perform well. But if victory wasn't what Miharu wanted, she'd have to tread carefully.
Naoki rolled her dice and set the cup down.
"Naoki, what's your choice?"
She stared at the covered dice. If only she had some X-ray vision ability. Not knowing what she rolled was frustrating.
If she were a seasoned pro, maybe she could tell by the feel. But right now, she was flying blind.
"Me? Of course I continue."
With a determined breath, she lifted the cup.
Double threes.
Naoki blinked.
That was a six—exactly one point over Miharu's five. Statistically rare. Only a 1 in 36 chance.
Did I level up from that last match with Mayoi Namashima?
Regardless, others wouldn't see it as luck. She had taken a risk and it paid off.
Now the pot was up to four chips. Miharu could either call it or push further.
Aoi's rules meant each raise doubled the stakes. Win early, and the payout was small. But if you kept baiting, the reward—and risk—grew.
Naoki guessed Miharu would end it here.
After all, if she lost the next round, she'd forfeit eight chips.
Miharu raised her dice cup, rolled, and placed it down.
"Sakura?" Aoi prompted.
"Continue," Miharu said coolly.
She lifted the cup.
Double sixes.
Nagi clapped. "She ended it already? I thought she'd keep baiting to eight."
"She was at a disadvantage," Ina murmured. "Playing it safe was wise."
"Double sixes ends the round," Aoi confirmed. "No need to go further."
Miharu claimed four chips. Not much.
But now she went first.
Naoki sighed and drew a card from the system.
System: Congratulations! You drew the Lucky Koi card. Use it to increase your luck for the next round.
Nice.
Naoki activated the Lucky Koi. A gentle warmth flooded her chest.
Miharu opened the second round.
Double twos. Four points.
A solid roll. Better than one and three.
Naoki rolled next. She didn't want to go too high—ten or more would only encourage Miharu to end the round with twelve.
Let's try for a modest five, she thought.
She lifted her cup.
Two and four. Six.
Not what she aimed for, but still above Miharu.
The Lucky Koi was working. It wasn't mind-reading, but it nudged odds in her favor.
Miharu rolled again.
Three and four. Seven.
Naoki admired her skill. Miharu was clearly manipulating her rolls, keeping just ahead each time.
Nagi whistled. "Still flawless. I can't match that."
Ina chuckled. "Some people are born with it."
Naoki took up her dice.
She was now where Miharu had been—faced with a choice.
Take her four chips back, or risk it all?
Big roll, but not too big.
She focused, breathed, rolled.
Four and five.
Nine.
Naoki frowned. A dangerous number.
The pot was now eight chips.
It was unlikely Miharu would let it go further.
Rolling an eleven would be risky—Naoki might hit twelve and take it all.
Rolling a ten might not be enough. If Naoki went for eleven next, she could win sixteen.
But would Miharu risk that?
Not likely.
Sure enough, Miharu rolled again.
Double sixes.
Another clean finish. She took the eight-chip pot.
Score: 38 to 62.
Nagi clapped lazily. "Sakura's hand is like clockwork."
Even dice pros rarely landed perfect rolls every time.
But Miharu hadn't missed once.
Naoki glanced at her.
Miharu looked calm—but a slight furrow creased her brow. Even she wasn't immune to fatigue.
There it is. An opening.
If Miharu was burning focus every round, her stamina would run out eventually.
Naoki's fingers brushed against a card in her system inventory.
The Charm Card.
Maybe this was it.
Charm disrupted concentration.
And dice control demanded intense focus.
If she could break Miharu's rhythm, distract her just enough...
She might finally win a round.