Once Juraku and the others had left, Naoki walked up to Togakushi. "As we agreed before, you're still the Literature Club president and can continue your activities here, but the casino is mine to run."
"I understand." Togakushi Yukimi had observed the entire gamble. She knew her skills were nowhere near those two, and even if she refused, Naoki would likely win the casino back through another gamble.
Keeping the Literature Club intact and being allowed to stay was already more than she could hope for.
"Now then, Mary." Naoki turned to her. The twin-tailed blonde still had an unwilling look on her face.
No matter how many times she lost, Mary never gave up. That persistence was part of her charm.
"Have you figured out how you'll pay me back the thirty million yen?"
"I..."
There was no way she could've come up with a plan in such a short time. Thirty million was a huge sum. Even after beating Aipuxin, she'd only won two hundred thousand.
"If you don't know what to do, then work it off for me."
"Work it off?"
"That's right. I'll let you manage this casino. I just want a ten percent cut, and of course, you're still responsible for the debt. Whatever profits you earn can go toward repaying it. If you're good enough, you'll pay me back and still keep making money."
Was this her plan from the start? She never intended to manage the casino herself...
"You really think I can make a profit?"
"Well, the debt's yours either way. I don't have time to run a casino. Renting this place to you and earning from it sounds great to me."
Naoki laid out a clear path for Mary, and it even aligned with Mary's earlier ambitions, aside from the thirty million yen debt.
Still...
One day, she'd defeat this woman. She didn't need to grind away to earn thirty million. She'd win it back through gambling.
"Fine. I'll reluctantly agree."
"Hey, Tsuzura, you'll be staying to help too, right?" Naoki asked cheerfully. "If you stick around and help Mary run things, you can earn a salary and won't need to worry about the dues."
"I..." A bright smile spread across Tsuzura's face. "Of course I will."
Great. She could stay with Mary and Naoki.
Seeing the two of them, Mary felt oddly irritated. She still hadn't figured out whether Tsuzura helped Naoki cheat.
"Hey, how did you know what I was going to write earlier?"
"I guessed." Naoki blinked. "I was bluffing. I didn't expect to be right."
"In the first round, you had already written yours, so no matter what I picked, the result wouldn't change. I just guessed and happened to get it right. I was surprised when you flipped your card too. Just lucky, I guess."
Mary couldn't accept being bluffed. It felt worse than being cheated.
Still, if that was the case, she could accept it a little easier.
At least it meant she was simply outmatched.
"I'm heading out. You three figure out how to get this casino running."
She checked the time. It was about time to wander over to the Student Council building. Naoki waved and left the Second Library Preparation Room.
"That girl is busy all the time. Wonder what she's off to now." Mary muttered. "Whatever. I need to figure out what kind of gambling game will earn the money back."
...
"Take this, True Dragon King Fist!" The adorable loli in the hoodie shouted while frantically tapping on her handheld game.
"Ah, I died." Her opponent, a young man, slapped his forehead with a grin. "You're still really good, Runa."
"Mmm, I just love games. You haven't practiced enough, Aoi."
"The regular meeting is starting soon, and it's still just us. Neither the President nor Sachiko is here."
Sayaka Igarashi, standing nearby, spoke calmly. "The President is on her way back. Chairwoman Juraku went to collect the casino fees that are overdue."
"Looks like we've got time for one more round, Runa."
"Sure. I'm in."
...
"Be a good girl and wait here," Juraku Sachiko said outside the meeting room, handing the leash to Mikura.
"Yes." Mikura held the chain like a loyal pup, standing quietly by the door.
Naoki arrived just in time to witness this scene.
She'd stumbled into the Student Council's regular meeting by pure luck.
...
"Sachiko, you're here," Aoi didn't even lift his head, still immersed in his game with Runa.
Juraku wore a faint smile as she pulled out a chair and sat down. "I found two interesting first-years. One of them is named Naoki Utsugi."
At the name, Aoi's fingers stopped. His in-game character was instantly comboed to death.
"You're not focusing," Runa said, biting her lollipop and leaning over the table.
"Next time," Aoi replied, turning to Juraku. "That girl got your attention?"
Juraku raised a brow. Aoi clearly knew the girl. And not just him. Another sharp gaze met hers at the mention of Naoki's name.
Miharutaki Sakura.
Usually by-the-book, Sakura rarely involved herself with anything unrelated to her duties. Other than Aoi, she had no interest in others.
Heh. This just got even more interesting. Looks like she really did stumble across a treasure.
...
Mikura watched her mistress enter the room, a satisfied smile on her face. She'd been praised again by Juraku-sama. So happy.
She had to be a good dog. Juraku-sama would realize she was the best.
"Why are you smiling like that at the door?"
A familiar voice startled Mikura. She spun around, pupils contracting. "Naoki Utsugi, what are you doing here?!"
"Uh, cleaning duty." Naoki showed her cleaning tools. "I took the job to tidy the Student Council building."
"You've got thirty million yen and you're doing janitor work? Who are you trying to fool? What's your real aim?" Mikura's whole demeanor changed. Gone was the obedient pup. Now she looked like a guard dog, eyes sharp and hostile.
"Uh... it's not convenient to say..."
"Not convenient? Don't tell me, don't tell me" Mikura bristled, full-on alert. "You're trying to get close to Juraku-sama?!"
"Umm..." Naoki scratched her cheek with her thumb. "Wow, you guessed it."
"Wh-what?!" Mikura looked ready to explode, glaring at her like she wanted to bite.
She thought Naoki would deny it, but she just openly admitted it. She was a threat. A rival.
No way. No girl could be allowed near Juraku-sama.
"You're not allowed to approach Juraku-sama!" Mikura growled like a loyal dog guarding her master.
Naoki didn't shy away. She met Mikura's gaze directly. "Tell me what to do, and I'll do it. I've got a legit reason to be in the building."
"You jerk!"
If Naoki wanted to approach Juraku, she had to get past Mikura first. And with Mikura always watching, there was no chance of any alone time.
"I've got a proposal. How about we gamble? If you win, I'll never try to approach Chairwoman Juraku again. If I win, you're not allowed to stop me."
Mikura clenched her teeth. She wanted to accept, but after seeing Naoki's skills firsthand, she hesitated.
If she lost, she'd have to watch helplessly as another girl got close to Juraku-sama.
"What are we betting on?"
"Heh, it wouldn't be fair for either of us to decide. You tried cheating earlier and failed, but I still don't trust you."
"Then what..."
Naoki gestured toward the door. "Why not let Chairwoman Juraku choose our game?"
"No way."
"Aw, I thought you'd agree for sure."
Of course not. Juraku-sama liked this girl. She wouldn't let her lose.
...
"It's noisy outside. Is someone there?" Runa, distracted by the commotion, paused her game and set it aside.
Mikura?
Juraku got up and walked to the door. She pulled it open. The two girls at the entrance flinched and looked over.
"Juraku-sama..." Mikura's voice trembled. She was caught and felt guilty.
Juraku's gaze shifted to the other girl, her tone intrigued. "Naoki? What are you doing here?"
"I'm..." She was about to say something flattering to raise favorability but spotted Miharutaki Sakura walking out of the meeting room. She switched tactics.
"I'm here to clean."
Only broke students or livestock did janitor work. Naoki was clearly neither.
So she came on purpose. But why?
Sayaka Igarashi frowned slightly. This girl again. Always stirring things up.
"The meeting's about to start. Why are you cleaning now?"
With two capture targets nearby, Naoki couldn't miss the chance to raise their favorability. She put on a pitiful expression. "Lady Igarashi, I had something come up earlier. Since the meeting hasn't started yet, I hoped you'd let it slide."
Juraku raised a brow. This was a far cry from the confident Naoki who wagered thirty million. Now she was acting all meek?
In this school, powerful students were never submissive like livestock.
The bigger the contrast, the more obvious it was that Naoki was faking it.
Juraku smirked. Was she teasing Sayaka on purpose?
Sayaka gave Naoki a glance. She wasn't moved by this fake weakness. But with all the other Council members here, and since it wasn't a big deal, better to end it quickly.
"Come back after the meeting."
Miharutaki Sakura, watching from behind, felt a strange stir in her chest. No one could stay indifferent to someone who kept showing up just to see you.
Especially if that person suffered for it.
She assumed Naoki came again just to find her, even got caught eavesdropping.
Still, someone like her, so strict and upright, had high expectations for loyalty. Seeing Naoki's previous behavior firsthand, she didn't want to encourage it.
Even so, ever since she'd noticed Naoki, she couldn't look away.
"Mikura, what were you two talking about just now?" Juraku asked. She'd heard faint arguing and could guess what happened.
Mikura hesitated. She didn't want to say it, worried Juraku would become more interested in Naoki. "Nothing, we just had a little disagreement."
"Oh?" Juraku knew her pet too well to be fooled. But she didn't mind. A pet that was too obedient would be boring.
She liked Mikura because she was loyal but still had a little fire. Just like today's gamble she hadn't been told to interfere, but she did it anyway.
Seeing Miharutaki Sakura appear, Naoki realized now wasn't the time to challenge Mikura.
If she did, her plans to woo both would be exposed.
Sakura was the type who valued loyalty. If she *saw* Naoki acting like a player, that would be game over.
"Well then, I won't interrupt your meeting." Naoki grabbed her mop and cleaning tools and fled.
...
Clatter, clatter, clatter.
As she hurried down the stairs, she heard someone coming up. But she didn't stop, determined to escape.
Running too fast, she slammed right into the person coming up.
Crap!
The impact knocked the person down and spilled the mop bucket, soaking both of them.
Luckily, it didn't hurt much. She'd landed on top of someone with a much softer build. The cloud-like softness distracted her for a second.
"Sorry, I didn't see"
But they weren't alone. As she got up, she saw another girl climbing the stairs behind the one she'd knocked over.
This girl had long, silky hair and wore a white mask, completely hiding her expression.
Naoki: ...
That outfit was unmistakable. There was only one person in the academy who dressed like that.
The Student Council Vice President.
Oh no.
The girl she'd just landed on was.....