Kakegurui: Ten Consecutive Guaranteed Hits

Volume 1 Chapter 50: Mary Falls into the Abyss of Gambling

Yes, this is the card. I'll choose this one! In her heart, Yukimi was shouting, desperately hoping that Kiyohei would draw this card.

But on the surface, she still played the role of a nervous wreck, as if her fate would be sealed if Kiyohei drew this card.

What Yukimi didn't know was that her performance was entirely in vain. Kiyohei had known from the beginning which card to draw.

Kiyohei was just trying to see what would happen if he chose the other card.

Just as Kiyohei was about to draw the red card, his entire field of vision suddenly turned red.

[Warning, warning... the host is doing something that affects the outcome of the gamble. If the host does not stop their current actions, causing the gamble to fail, the system will not be responsible for the outcome, and this guaranteed opportunity will be wasted]

A cold, robotic voice suddenly appeared, startling Kiyohei.

Was this the system's warning?

Indeed, the system couldn't influence reality; it could only guide his actions. The system would help him win, but if he actively sought defeat, the system wouldn't assist him.

Kiyohei hadn't considered one thing: as long as he didn't intentionally admit defeat, the system's safety net would ensure his victory. So, could the system truly not affect reality?

Now that the "experiment results" were out, Kiyohei no longer teased the system and completely ignored Yukimi, who was still acting.

He drew the card on his left.

It was a card with the same number as the one in his hand.

Kiyohei had known this from the beginning, and with a casual glance, he threw it onto the gambling table.

The game was over, leaving Yukimi dumbfounded, holding a 7 of diamonds in her hand.

As expected, she had lost...

Yukimi's eyes were lifeless, and she listlessly put down the card in her hand.

From the moment she drew the wrong card, she had a premonition that she might lose this round, but Kiyohei's hesitation had given her a glimmer of hope.

She thought Kiyohei would make a mistake, and she believed she could turn the tables. Such wishful thinking.

"The game is over, and the final winner is Ayanokoji Kiyohei!" Runa, as a member of the Student Council Supervisory Management Committee, timely announced Kiyohei's victory.

She asked both of them, "Both sides did not cheat during the gamble, and you have no objections to the outcome, correct?"

"No objections," Kiyohei said without a hint of guilt.

Although he had borrowed the power of the system, the system was part of his abilities, like the books he had read and the questions he had answered. It was not considered cheating.

Yukimi lowered her head, clenched her hands tightly, and then weakly let go, accepting the outcome of the gamble.

"...I have no objections either."

Now, she regretted it deeply.

From the beginning, she should not have succumbed to Kiyohei's temptation. She should not have accepted this gamble or put her casino on the line.

But it was too late for regrets now.

If it weren't for Mikura's secret assistance, she would have already lost in her gamble with Mary, and the casino would have changed hands at that time. This was just a delay of half an hour.

"Since both parties have no objections to the result, then this casino officially belongs to Ayanokoji-san!" Runa, as a member of the Student Council Supervisory Management Committee, had the authority to transfer ownership of the casino.

"Ayanokoji-san, tomorrow afternoon I will draft a casino transfer document. When the time comes, you just need to sign it, and this casino will officially be yours."

"Remember to pay a monthly venue fee of 500,000 yen for the casino," Mikura added.

Kiyohei chuckled and tapped his finger on the gambling table. "So, I'm the owner of this casino now?"

"Great, Kiyohei, now we have a casino!" Tsuzura exclaimed excitedly.

"Kiyohei, congratulations on your win..." Mary approached with a genuine smile on her face, genuinely happy for Kiyohei.

"Wait a minute... who said that his casino is ours?" Kiyohei interrupted Mary, correcting their language. "Don't get me wrong; this is my casino, not yours."

The two of them stood there awkwardly, looking at each other, not sure what was going on.

"We're friends, aren't we?" Mary couldn't help but say, "You just said you would help me take over a casino..."

"We are friends, that's correct," Kiyohei nodded. "But you guys neither helped nor invested in this casino. It's mine and has nothing to do with you, right?"

Kiyohei challenged Mary, "You mentioned earlier that you had the courage to borrow money for gambling. Didn't you think you could win? Then come and gamble with me."

"...I see."

Mary understood Kiyohei's meaning. She took a deep breath and said firmly, "I understand... I'll gamble with you, and I'll wager ownership of this casino!"

After going around in circles, it had now become a gambling match between Kiyohei and Mary.

"We can gamble, but do you have money? Weren't you still owing the Student Council 250,000 yen?" Kiyohei chuckled, without any hint of sarcasm, but it made Mary feel like she was being publicly humiliated.

"I'll gamble with my body!" Mary blurted out, not wanting to appear completely worthless.

"?"

All eyes turned to Mary, filled with curiosity, astonishment, and scrutiny. No one had expected Mary to say such a thing.

"Tsk tsk... you've only been at this school for two days, and you're already thinking of selling yourself?" Mikura sneered, "You're falling pretty fast."

Seeing everyone's misunderstanding, Mary hurriedly clarified, "What I meant was that if I lose, I'll work for free at the casino and use the winnings to pay off my debt!"

"Oh, I see..." Tsuzura sighed in relief, patting her chest. "That's great! I thought for a moment that you wanted to sell your body..."

"By the way, you don't need to worry about that 500,000 yen. If you lose, you lose. Mary, please don't take unnecessary risks!" While she was trying to comfort Mary, she felt that Mary was even more stressed.

Regardless of her initial 250,000 yen, she had to win back the 500,000 she had borrowed from Tsuzura and the additional 250,000 from the Student Council quickly. But now, she had no gambling funds, and apart from Kiyohei, she had no one to borrow money from.

Kiyohei rested his chin on his hand and smiled as he looked at Mary. "Mary, here's the deal. If you win against me, I'll not only transfer ownership of this casino to you but also give you an extra 1 million yen. If you lose..."

Mary cut him off decisively. "I'll take over the casino's operations, and you won't have to worry about the usage fees. I'll guarantee you a minimum monthly income of 500,000 yen for at least six months!"

Six months, meaning half a year. Mary's proposal was that if she lost, she would have to earn at least 3 million yen for Kiyohei within six months.

Kiyohei was taken aback by Mary's unexpected offer, and Tsuzura, who was standing beside them, quickly grabbed Mary's arm.

She anxiously said, "Mary, let's forget about this... Maybe I can ask my dad for more money tonight. There's no need to risk everything."

Mary paid no attention to Tsuzura and instead focused on Kiyohei, waiting for his response.

"All right, I'll gamble with you," Kiyohei replied. He stood up, walked over to her, and whispered in a voice only she could hear, "Mary, I'm serious. If I lose, I'll really treat you like an employee for six months."

Kiyohei didn't actually want to gamble with Mary. He was still trying to persuade her to give up on gambling. Unfortunately, his advice wasn't working.

"I'm serious too, Kiyohei. Actually, I'm grateful to you. Because... if we gamble, I still have a chance to turn things around. If we don't, I'm really doomed."

Mary gave Kiyohei a confident smile. "It's okay. Whatever you want to gamble with me, I'll play along. I believe I can win."

Kiyohei truly admired Mary's determination. No matter when, she always had unwavering confidence in her ability to win.

Yes, this girl... was a true gambler through and through. As long as she saw a glimmer of hope, she would fantasize about turning things around.

Perhaps she had become a gambler even before she devoted herself to passing the entrance exam to Private Hyakkaou Academy. If he hadn't come to this school, Mary might have won many more gambling matches, defeated many more opponents, and earned a lot more money. She might have even stood at the pinnacle of this academy.

But she wouldn't stop.

As long as there was something she could use as a bet, she would keep gambling.

... Until she wagered her entire life in a single gambling match.

Yes, she had fallen into the abyss of gambling, and if he hadn't intervened, all that awaited her was destruction.

As Kiyohei realized this, a voice echoed in his mind.

[Mission system activated.]

[Mission 1: Save Mary Saotome and help her escape the abyss of gambling.]