Kakegurui: Ten Consecutive Guaranteed Hits

Volume 1 Chapter 30: Kokoro, are you saying you didn't cheat!?

Kokoro was about to offer some insincere consolation to Mary, but she noticed Mary's shoulders shaking, and the shaking became more pronounced. Was she trying to stifle laughter? The classmates couldn't help but look at her in surprise. Even though it was apparent she was about to lose, why was she laughing?

"Hehe... Hahaha...!" Mary's laughter grew louder and she wiped tears from her eyes, seemingly unable to contain her mirth.

"Mary, are you okay?" Kokoro couldn't help but ask. The game wasn't over yet, and if Mary was losing it like this, would the game be considered void? After all, mentally unstable individuals have certain exemptions. Maybe Mary was intentionally pretending to be crazy to escape from this gambling match?

"I'm fine... our game isn't over yet," Mary replied, wiping the tears from her eyes and looking up with a strange smile, as if still holding back laughter.

"Mary, just play your card already and stop wasting our time," Kokoro urged her. What was so funny? Kokoro felt a growing sense of irritation and wanted the game to be over.

She gazed at Mary, smiling brightly, waiting for her to play her card, like an elementary school student eagerly waiting for the end of a class. But then... Mary lightly flicked the card in her hand, and suddenly, one card became two.

The extra card that appeared was... another "joker."

Kokoro's pupils contracted. How could this be happening? How did Mary still have two cards in her hand? Without a "3," the joker was invincible, and as a wealthy person, Kokoro couldn't possibly have drawn the smallest card on the surface.

Before Kokoro could question her, Mary threw both cards onto the table.

"Joker and one more 7," Mary said with a smug smile, her tone rising, "Sorry, I've won this gamble."

Kokoro couldn't hide her shock anymore. She jumped up from her chair, no longer resembling a rich young lady but more like an enraged woman, pointing at Mary and shouting.

"It's impossible! How do you have two cards in your hand? What happened to your 3? Why didn't you play that card!?"

Now it was Kokoro throwing a tantrum and slamming the table. She couldn't accept this result. How did the tables turn so quickly? She had the advantage, but in the blink of an eye, Mary had claimed victory.

"Idiot!" Mary leaned forward, propping her chin with her hand, and wore the victorious grin of a winner. "Haven't you figured it out? That '3' card was just one I picked up from the discarded pile, it had already been used in a previous game!"

"...When did you...!?" Kokoro's pupils contracted as she remembered the moment Mary had checked the cards on the table to see if they were marked. That was when she planned to take that card!

As if to prove Kokoro's words, Kiyohei flipped the card over. Yes, indeed, it was the "3" card. Mary had hidden this card before several rounds of gambling. While everyone's attention was on her back, no one noticed she had taken the opportunity to look at the cards up close and secretly concealed this card.

Mary had been enduring all along until she acquired the two jokers, and only then did she reveal the "trump card" she had hidden long ago. Kiyohei had witnessed Mary's subtle movement of concealing the card. He knew Mary already had a winning strategy in mind, which is why he remained silent.

Kokoro didn't want to admit the result of the game; she wanted to prove that Mary was cheating and shouted loudly, "Aren't you cheating!?"

"Why would I be cheating? I merely had someone help me take a discarded card. What's wrong with that?" Mary deliberately showed a puzzled expression and tilted her head, "After all, that card had no relevance to the current game, unless someone was peeking at the cards."

Peeking at the cards... Kokoro's eyes flickered, feeling guilty. Her momentum suddenly weakened.

"Exactly..." Mary suddenly clapped her hands and, drawing everyone's attention, her eyes became sharp, "By the way, how did you know that card was a 3? How did you figure it out?"

Mary slammed the table and shouted, "Kokoro, still claiming you didn't cheat!?"

Feeling overwhelmed by Mary's aura, Kokoro subconsciously took a step back and gritted her teeth, refusing to admit it.

"You're overthinking. I didn't cheat. I just guessed that the only card that could beat a joker is a 3. It's a reasonable assumption since there's no other possibility!"

No, there's still the "cyclone" card, Kiyohei silently added in his mind.

"Whatever, you can pretend to be innocent," Mary snorted and didn't dwell on the topic any longer. She seemed to be relishing the opportunity to make Kokoro "understand" and confidently revealed her plan.

"Since I knew you were cheating all along, able to see my cards, I had to use your cheating method against you." Mary looked at Kokoro and sneered, "When my hand was good, you would definitely try to wrap up the game quickly and avoid further play. So, I had to use a countermeasure against you."

"That card was specifically to counter your trump card. In your eyes, I was surely planning to use a 3 to defeat the joker, so when I proposed a high bet, you didn't suspect a thing. You even hurriedly agreed, thinking I fell for your provocation."

Mary looked at Kokoro and coldly smiled, "And that's precisely what happened. You never doubted me, did you?"

Mary's method was not complex; it was even straightforward – she simply stacked two cards together while drawing. No matter what cheating method the opponent used, they couldn't possibly learn X-ray vision to see the size of one card through another.

It was simple, yet highly effective.

Due to her consistent winning streak, Kokoro became arrogant and looked down on Mary, especially when Mary "missed a good opportunity" before. Kokoro thought Mary was a fool, but in reality, it was all a trap set by Mary.

Mary seemed determined to retaliate for all the humiliation she had previously suffered and mercilessly humiliated Kokoro with her words.

"Kokoro, did you think I didn't know you saw my cards during our previous match? I deliberately played the King first to make you believe I was foolish. In reality, you're the biggest fool!"