Kakegurui: Ten Consecutive Guaranteed Hits

Volume 1 Chapter 35: Creed for Surviving in Society

When Mary was causing trouble for Kokoro, Kiyohei was also asking others in their class if they had seen Tsuzura or knew where she usually went. He approached a few easy-going students, but they all shook their heads, claiming ignorance.

Just as Kiyohei was about to head to the gambling den to meet up with Mary, a girl with short hair spoke softly, "Are you looking for Tsuzura? She's probably on the rooftop now."

Kiyohei turned around and saw the girl with normal black eyes, no colored contacts, and no livestock tag hanging from her chest. She was just like an ordinary student.

"So, you're a friend of Tsuzura?" Kiyohei sighed and asked.

"I'm not her friend; I just noticed that she always takes her lunchbox and heads up the stairs around this time, probably going to the rooftop to eat," the girl replied casually. "If you have nothing else to ask, please don't bother me; I still have exercises to do."

After thanking the girl, Kiyohei went to the gambling den to find Mary. To his surprise, Mary had cornered Kokoro in a corner, and there were more than ten other students standing around, quietly observing.

Mary had one foot on the wall next to Kokoro and the other hand pressing on the opposite side, forming a forceful posture that oppressed Kokoro. She questioned, "I'll ask you again, do you know where Tsuzura went?"

Kokoro's eyes showed defiance, and she looked annoyed. "I already said I don't know where she went. Once the bell rings, she disappears, and there's no way to summon her. Stop bothering me; ask someone else!"

Before Mary could say anything else, Kiyohei patted her shoulder, and she turned around.

"I know where she is; let's go," Kiyohei said briefly.

Mary nodded, retracted her leg from the wall next to Kokoro, and was about to leave with Kiyohei when Kokoro called her back.

"Hey, Mary, we agreed to your terms, right? You'll keep your word, won't you?" Kokoro looked uneasy.

"Don't worry. As long as you stop bullying Tsuzura, I won't reveal your cheating secrets to others. Otherwise, I might have to share this secret with the other 'livestock' in our class," Mary said with a grin.

"Ugh? Can you do that?" Mary seemed surprised; she had never thought of that.

"If Kokoro was the only one using this cheating method, she definitely wouldn't spend a penny to keep it a secret. However, she's not the only one; she and her rich friends have been using this method to control the 'livestock' for half a year. For them, this secret must not be exposed," Kiyohei explained.

He gave an example, "Imagine there's a person who claims to be the world's strongest martial artist, and everyone admires him and willingly becomes his disciple. But one day, people are shocked to find out that he's actually weak and can be easily defeated even by a child. He's not strong at all, and anyone can beat him. How do you think people would react?"

"They'd feel cheated and furious, wanting to confront him about it. Some hot-headed individuals might even try to beat him up in the arena..." Kokoro said, and then she remembered something, playfully patting Kiyohei's shoulder.

"Don't think I haven't watched Dragon Ball! You're describing Mr. Satan's story, right? People thought he was the world's strongest, but it turned out to be an act."

Kiyohei smiled, and Mary blushed slightly, embarrassed by her enthusiasm for Dragon Ball.

"He wasn't exposed because Goku, Vegeta, and the others didn't care about being known as the strongest. They never revealed Mr. Satan's true fighting ability in public," Kiyohei chuckled. "And now, you're like a martial artist who has learned that Mr. Satan is incredibly weak. How much do you think Mr. Satan would pay to keep this fact hidden?"

After a few seconds of silence, Mary grabbed her hair in frustration, "I'm such a fool! I missed a great opportunity to make a fortune!"

Although Mary had a high IQ and was very clever, she had always thought like a commoner and never considered using this secret for blackmail.

"Do you think I still have time to regret now?" Mary lamented.

"You can try and see if Kokoro is willing to pay you," Kiyohei shrugged, indifferent.

Mary felt regretful, but she quickly calmed down and shook her head firmly, "Kiyohei, maybe you can blackmail them, but I can't."

"Why not?" Kiyohei smiled and listened attentively.

Mary calmly analyzed, "First of all, just like Kokoro said, I'm just an ordinary civilian with no status or influence. This secret involves not only Kokoro but also the rest of the class. Even if I managed to extort money from them, they are the children of powerful figures in politics and business. They could easily find a reason to take back the money from me under the pretext of blackmail, and I might even end up in prison."

"Secondly, even if they don't send me to jail, they can still cause trouble for me secretly. I might end up isolated like the 'livestock,' or even worse. Although I know this secret, I'm only causing trouble for Kokoro because she humiliated me. I won't target others, and they won't intentionally bother me either. I've realized that Kokoro is quite proud and cares about her reputation. If she loses face in front of me, she will try to regain it in gambling, not secretly targeting me."

"So... maybe what I'm doing now is the right choice," Mary concluded, her tone becoming more resolute. She believed she hadn't made a mistake. However, in her words, there was a trace of helplessness and unwillingness.

Kiyohei wanted to applaud Mary's decision. Honestly, he regretted telling Mary the secret in the first place. If she were reckless and publicly exposed it, it would lead to a disastrous outcome for Mary.

He deliberately asked these questions to see if Mary would let a moment of triumph cloud her judgment. This school seemed to use gambling to determine victory and status, but in reality, everyone's social standing remained unbridgeable. There were divisions like livestock, commoners, the wealthy second generation, government officials' second generation, and family heirs. The Hyakkaou Private Academy was a microcosm of society, even a country.

The code for survival here was not to provoke those whom you couldn't handle.

Kiyohei was relieved that Mary had learned this lesson.