Unlike everyone else with their own agendas, Naoki was simply thrilled.
A whole night together? Even if the girls didn't come to her, she'd chase after them.
But her top priority now was securing Miharutaki Sakura.
Excitedly, Naoki started planning their date.
She knew if she didn't make the first move, Miharutaki would never bring it up herself.
Her goal? To create a spark between them.
Time was limited. There were still so many girls to conquer. If this rare date didn't increase favorability or accelerate their relationship, it would feel like a waste.
Dinner, shopping, movies the usual couple activities were fine but too ordinary.
She needed something special. Friends could do those things too.
Wasn't there anything only couples could do?
Naoki spent the whole night scribbling ideas. An amusement park? A bar? Some romantic activity? But she never settled on anything before dozing off.
The next day in class, Mary looked distracted and troubled. Her attention kept drifting during lessons.
Hanatemari whispered to Naoki, "Is Mary okay? She seems really off."
Maybe this was a "girls-only" kind of anxiety. Hanatemari and Togakushi, being straightforward types, hadn't reacted at all to the idea of spending a night together.
But Mary? Still insisted she was straight, and here she was, completely flustered.
Naoki replied, "Probably still upset over yesterday's loss. She'll bounce back soon."
"You think so?" Hanatemari looked unconvinced.
The incident at the pairing gamble where the student council showed up in force had already made the school news.
By noon, everyone was talking about it.
As the ones who gambled with them, Naoki and Hanatemari were constantly under scrutiny.
The rumors speculated that the council wasn't really there for romance or gambling. Surely there was some deeper scheme at play.
Those familiar with the Zensaki Society wondered if this was the start of something bigger on campus.
To all that, Naoki thought: You guys are seriously overthinking this.
Maybe they really were just there to play or find love.
Enjoying the cool afternoon breeze, Naoki sat on a campus bench.
"System, do you only do card draws? Doesn't your shop have anything actually helpful? You call yourself a gambling system, but you won't even help me capture girls."
*System:* "Suggestion acknowledged. System upgrading."
Wait, it really upgraded?
She wondered if she should've complained sooner.
A few seconds later, the system returned.
*System:* "Upgrade complete! New targeted card feature unlocked Fate Card! Use it on a specific person and you'll be mysteriously drawn together!"
A new card?
Naoki immediately asked about its function.
"So if I use this Fate Card, the target will fall for me?"
*System:* "Well... not that easy. It triggers an event, but whether fate happens depends on your performance."
The system added, "You've asked so much. Why not just try it?"
She had four experience points saved up from the previous gamble.
Naoki used one to buy a Fate Card.
Then she used it on Sayaka Igarashi, who still had negative favorability.
If the card worked, she wanted to test it on someone who hated her.
In the afternoon, Naoki stayed in the classroom, waiting.
Sure enough, as she was dozing off, someone called her name.
"Oi, Naoki Utsugi!"
Hanatemari nudged her. "Naoki, someone's here for you."
Naoki lifted her head.
Ririka added, "Ah, it's that girl from yesterday."
Seeing Sayaka Igarashi made even Mary tense up.
A visit from a student council member was never good news.
Sayaka stood coldly in the doorway. It was obvious this wasn't her idea.
Naoki's eyes lit up. She ran to the hall.
"Sayaka-sama, what brings you here?"
Sayaka turned her head slightly, visibly annoyed.
"You owe me. Don't go home tonight."
Naoki: ...
Wait, what?
Sayaka was actually asking her to spend the night?
Had the Fate Card brainwashed her?
She checked the favorability stat it hadn't budged.
"You mean...?"
Sayaka replied sharply, "I'm here to enforce the bet. That's all."
"So... are we going to your dorm? My place? I don't have a school dorm, though."
As Naoki playfully listed sleeping spots, Sayaka's face turned pitch black.
...
10 p.m.
Naoki, barely awake, followed Sayaka into the pitch-black school building.
She knew it. Sayaka wasn't actually going to sleep with her.
Instead, she ordered Naoki to accompany her on an overnight inspection of the facilities.
Technically spending the night together, but... really?
Naoki wanted to argue, but Sayaka claimed she won the bet, so she got to choose the format.
"Senpai, I'm exhausted. Let's just find a classroom and sleep."
Naoki was being tortured.
Sayaka walked ahead, ignoring her.
"Still a lot to check."
"Aren't you scared? It's the dead of night, and we're all alone."
Naoki immediately regretted saying that.
The dark hallways, the silent classrooms it all felt haunted.
Sayaka paused briefly.
"Why doesn't this school have emergency lights?"
Naoki muttered.
"Focus. Check the surveillance room next."
Sayaka, usually far ahead, now walked closer. Maybe she was a little scared.
Naoki grinned. Perfect time for the suspension bridge effect.
"Senpai, have you heard the rumors? They say this school is haunted."
She spun a spooky tale.
"They say past students, ruined by gambling, became spirits. Some even took their own lives. Now their ghosts play poker at night."
Sayaka: ...
"Keep talking and I'll..."
Before she could finish, a soft shuffle echoed from the classroom ahead.
It was the sound of cards.
Faint, but clear in the silence.
All classrooms were locked and dark. Who was playing cards?
Naoki leapt onto Sayaka.
"Help! There's a ghost!"
Sayaka was startled too, but kept a straight face.
"There are no ghosts. Get off me."
Naoki clung to her, genuinely terrified.
Who knew her made-up ghost story would actually come true?
"System! What is this?! There aren't really ghosts, right?"
*System:* "Congratulations! Your Fate Card event has been triggered!"
"Event?!"
Naoki had a bad feeling.
Suddenly, the classroom door opened, and a force sucked them inside.
"I told you! It's haunted! You didn't listen!"
The door slammed shut.
In the panic, Sayaka hugged Naoki tightly.
Then, a prompt:
*System: Sayaka Igarashi's favorability increased by 2 points!*
Was this ghost story part of the Fate Card?
...
Inside the classroom sat three figures: two men and a woman. Pale, shadowed faces definitely not human.
They grinned.
"You're students, right? We need two more for Texas Hold'em. Come play with us."
Sayaka clutched Naoki's hand.
"You're not students."
"I know every face on campus," she said.
Naoki: ???
Thousands of students and she memorized all of them?
One spiky-haired man laughed. "Of course not. We died over ten years ago. We're not in any records."
Sayaka flinched.
Naoki cursed the system silently.
This was insane. Haunted schools, really?
But the ghosts looked peaceful. Maybe winning would end it.
"If we play, you'll let us go?"
The long-haired guy smirked. "If you win."
"If we win, we go free. If we lose, you stay forever," the girl added sweetly.
Each side gets three players. If either of you runs out of chips, you lose."
Sayaka opened her mouth, but Naoki stopped her.
Three ghosts versus two girls was unfair. But they had no choice.
Sayaka glanced at Naoki, processing the bizarre chain of events.
And her partner was Naoki Utsugi. Of all people.
She didn't believe in ghosts until now.
Still, these spirits didn't seem vicious. Maybe they could win.
"Don't worry, Senpai. They died from gambling addiction, right? Probably sucked at it. We'll destroy them."
Sayaka hated Naoki's tone, but oddly, it helped ease the tension.
*System: Sayaka Igarashi's favorability increased by 2 points!*
Each player got 30 chips.
Texas Hold'em. Winner takes all.
Cards floated in midair, shuffling themselves.
Naoki didn't trust them not to cheat. Who knew what tricks ghost gamblers had?
First round. Small blind to Naoki, big blind to the long-haired guy.
She drew a club King and a heart 7.
Flop: 2, 10, Ace.
"Raise, 2 chips," said the long-haired girl.
Everyone called.
Naoki used three experience points to draw ability cards.
*System:* "Congratulations! You drew: Mind Reading, X-Ray Vision, and Koi Blessing!"
Bingo.
She used X-Ray Vision.
Long-haired girl had 7 and 10. One pair.
Other ghosts had garbage.
Sayaka had a pair of Kings.
She could win this round.
Naoki was about to fold and let Sayaka win, until she saw the spiky-haired ghost slyly swap cards under the table.
He passed a 10 to the long-haired girl, giving her Three-of-a-Kind.
Cheating ghosts. Of course.
Naoki bet 3 chips anyway.
They had to win to leave.
Then she protested, "It's not fair! You keep shuffling and dealing. What if you cheat?"
The ghosts agreed to alternate roles.
Next flip was Naoki's turn.
She signaled Sayaka and used Ghost Hand, secretly planting a King into the community cards.
Now Sayaka had Three-of-a-Kind.
The ghosts didn't react. To them, it was meaningless.
But Sayaka caught on.
How did Naoki know she needed a King?
Could she really be this clever?
Maybe the president saw something in her after all.
Even now, facing ghosts, Naoki was reliable.
Had she misjudged her?
*System: Sayaka Igarashi's favorability increased by 5 points!*
Finally, back to zero.
Weird as it was, the Fate Card was working.
Just... maybe a bit too well.
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