Kakegurui: Ten Consecutive Guaranteed Hits

Volume 1 Chapter 26: Victory Terminated?

Kiyohei Ayanokoji had carefully considered the rules of this game several times. Apart from the "Rich" and "Poor" terminology, which made him want to mock, the rules of the game were actually quite well-designed. At least in the first round, there was no obvious loophole that would guarantee a higher chance of winning for either side.

Starting from the second round, becoming the Rich allowed one to take the largest card from the Poor, significantly increasing the Rich's chances of winning. However, this also reduced the chances of the Rich obtaining the "3" card, providing the Poor an opportunity to win despite being at a disadvantage. If the Poor found an opening, they could become the Rich. It was similar to the game of animal chess, where even a mouse could defeat an elephant.

Unlike the individual battles at Kiyohei's gambling hall, when the others in their class heard that Mary and Kokoro were gambling, they stopped their own games and gathered around their table, eagerly watching them.

Mary had preemptively driven away others, allowing only Kiyohei and Tsuzura to stand behind her, to prevent anyone from secretly giving signals behind her back. On the other hand, Kokoro had a group of people standing behind her. She seemed to enjoy being the center of attention, not dispersing the crowd before starting the game.

The first round was crucial as winning it would give one the initiative. Mary played her cards cautiously, and with Kiyohei's rich experience in games like "Landlord," he could see that Mary always chose the optimal move. However, she was still one step short, allowing Kokoro to claim victory and miss the opportunity to become the Rich.

"Mary, I thought you would have some clever strategy, but it turns out you're just here to give me money," Kokoro couldn't contain her smile. "I love fools like you!"

Mary seemed to have anticipated this outcome. Her face remained calm and she calmly said, "Kokoro, your dealer is quite meddlesome. Let me deal the cards from now on."

The gambling game between Mary and Kokoro was similar to Kiyohei's game, with a dealer standing in the middle dealing the cards. However, in front of both Mary and Kokoro, the dealer did not have the "Livestock Card."

Kiyohei silently nodded, impressed by Mary's quick thinking. By requesting to become the dealer herself, she aimed to eliminate the additional variable of the dealer if there was any collusion between Kokoro and the current dealer.

If Kokoro and the dealer were conspiring, she would certainly refuse Mary's request. However, without any hesitation, Kokoro readily agreed to Mary's proposal.

Waving her hand, the current dealer put down the cards and stepped back behind Kokoro.

Mary wasted no time and picked up the deck of cards, becoming the dealer for both herself and Kokoro. Kiyohei noticed that Mary had a different way of handing out the cards each time. Sometimes she would cover them with her hand, other times she would place them on the table after a quick glance, and sometimes she wouldn't even look and just dealt the cards casually. She was trying to discover Kokoro's cheating method.

In "Short-Term Millionaire," each player only had five cards per round, and the first to play all their cards would win. This made the game progress quickly.

Soon, Mary and Kokoro had already played more than ten rounds. However, since winning the first round, Kokoro didn't give Mary any opportunities to win. She firmly held the position of the "Rich" and prevented Mary from winning any rounds.

Kokoro, the heiress of a wealthy family, maintained a composed posture, reclining on her chair with her legs crossed. She lazily played her cards and occasionally mocked Mary.

"Poor people will always be poor; this status suits you well."

"Anyway, special admission students like you are just a bunch of arrogant beggars who must have worked hard to study and get into this school, right?"

"Forget it, someone like you will be poor for your whole life, a livestock at the bottom of society!"

Kokoro's words had an AOE impact, and Kiyohei felt as if he was being verbally attacked. He scanned the crowd in the gambling hall, and most of them wore smiles, seemingly sharing Kokoro's sentiments.

And those people with signs around their necks that read "Stray Cat" and "Stupid Dog," who were also targeted by Kokoro's taunts, clenched their fists and displayed a sense of discontent upon hearing those words. However, they seemed accustomed to such remarks, and their clenched fists quickly relaxed. They silently went about cleaning the gambling hall in the corner.

"And you, Mary, do you think that getting into this school allows you to transcend social classes and become a young lady?" Kokoro witnessed Mary's continuous losses, and a cruel smile appeared on her otherwise pretty face as she mercilessly mocked her, saying, "Let me tell you, that's impossible. Someone like you, a destitute beggar who can't even afford to gamble, will be poor for your entire life! Hahaha!"

"Enough already," Mary spoke up. Since entering the gambling hall, she had maintained a cold and indifferent expression, unaffected even when she lost. This was the first time she had spoken up to retort against Kokoro.

"What did you say?" Kokoro blinked, retracting her smile.

"I said you're annoying!" Mary chuckled coldly. "Do you think you're so smart? Do you think you can keep winning against me? Well, let me show you how I, as a 'Poor,' will defeat you, the 'Rich!'"

"Do you think you can win this round?" Kokoro's gaze scanned over Mary's cards, and she smiled charmingly. "Then let's try."

Mary's hand in the game of "Landlord" was incredibly powerful - it consisted of four Kings and an 8. It was an explosive hand, with a bomb (four of a kind) plus a single card. Even if she exchanged her largest King for Kokoro's 3, it was still a good hand.

No wonder Mary had the confidence to challenge her.

The Poor played first.

Mary played the 3, the card she had exchanged from Kokoro's hand. It was the smallest card, so it was only natural to play it first.

Kokoro followed with a 6.

Instead of playing an 8 as expected, Mary directly played a King.

"Oh, so you still have a King. I won't play any cards this round," Kokoro seemed surprised that Mary still had a King. Annoyed, she made a clicking sound with her tongue and impatiently waved her hand, signaling for Mary to play first.

She's not playing any cards? Mary was momentarily stunned, but soon a feeling of delight welled up within her.

If Kokoro's largest card in her hand was the King, then Mary had already won this round!

A slight smile appeared on Mary's lips as she played another King.

Kokoro Aiura still didn't play any cards.

She probably didn't expect Mary's cards to be this good. Kokoro glared at Mary, grinding her teeth and staring at her with hatred, as if she wanted to tear her apart with her gaze.

Now Mary only had one King and one 8 left in her hand, while Kokoro still had four cards.

Mary hesitated for a moment, contemplating whether she should play the 8 first. If she did, she would definitely win.

But when she thought about her ultimate goal, she took a deep breath and topped it with a King.

Hanashu stood behind Kiyohei Ayanokoji with an excited expression, eager to witness Mary's victory.

Even she could see the current situation.

Kokoro's largest card in her hand was the King, and if Mary played this card, Kokoro wouldn't be able to beat it! In that case, Mary would be able to play her last 8!

"One Ace." As if to shatter Mary's illusion, Kokoro carelessly played an Ace from her hand, even yawning in the process.