Kakegurui: Ten Consecutive Guaranteed Hits

Volume 1 Chapter 21: Mechanical Divine Intervention, is that even possible?

"I don't think this is a good idea..." Kumagai's forehead broke out in a cold sweat, instinctively wanting to object.

He was startled when Kiyohei suddenly spoke, thinking that their cooperation had been exposed as problematic.

"What I wanted was the card on top when the deck wasn't shuffled, but now the cards are already mixed up, and the card I wanted to draw has been shuffled into the deck. Isn't this your negligence?" Kiyohei said.

It was his mistake, and Kumagai couldn't absolve himself of that, but he still wanted to instinctively stop Kiyohei. "According to the rules, you can only take the card on top..."

"According to the rules, once you say 'draw,' you can't go back on it."

Before Kumagai could finish his sentence, Kiyohei interrupted him, turning to look at Kuroki and calmly said, "Since you've chosen to change your stance, I can also slightly modify the rules, right, Kuroki?"

Kiyohei's words cornered Kuroki.

Kiyohei had just helped him, and now he had no position to refuse Kiyohei.

Either he agreed to let Kiyohei draw a card from the deck, or he couldn't go back on his decision and had to draw another card.

Kuroki was at a loss and instinctively looked at Kumagai.

Although Kumagai had a bad feeling in his heart, they both had no say in the matter and could only nod slightly.

"Alright, I agree!" With Kumagai's support, Kuroki let out a sigh of relief and also nodded in agreement.

Drawing a card from the deck was much more exciting than getting the card on top, and the people around them not only didn't stop them but even encouraged Kiyohei.

"Hey, newcomer, draw the card on the far left!"

"You should draw the second-to-last card!"

"Count five cards from the middle, towards the left!"

Kiyohei didn't stop their chaotic suggestions. He stacked all the cards into a pile, then used his thumb as a pivot, pressing down on one corner of the top card, and with the palm of his hand, he swept over the cards, creating an arc.

In an instant, the poker cards on the table fanned out like a fan, forming a semicircle spread across the tabletop.

This was a basic card cutting technique. Although Kiyohei hadn't learned more advanced cutting techniques yet, he still knew this level of card cutting.

Kiyohei's display wasn't complicated, and now, among the people still in the gambling hall, more than half of them could perform this move.

However, the impact on Kumagai was unparalleled.

The students of Hyakkaou Private Academy had been exposed to gambling since middle school, so it wasn't surprising that they knew this move. But Kiyohei, as a newcomer, being able to perform a simple card cutting technique meant one thing: Kiyohei wasn't a complete novice to gambling!

His sudden decision to choose the card-drawing method wasn't a reckless strategy; he must have had his own thoughts!

Kumagai's alarm bells rang in his mind. He felt that if Kiyohei drew that card, he and Kuroki might have to swallow the bitter fruit of failure.

He instinctively wanted to stop it, but it was already too late. Kiyohei had already selected a card.

[Ace of Clubs].

That was the card Kiyohei drew.

In an instant, Kumagai was struck by thunder.

Whether Kiyohei received the Ace of Diamonds, Ace of Hearts, or Ace of Spades, it wouldn't have had such a profound impact as receiving this card.

...How did Kiyohei discover and draw the card that was my hidden trump card? Could it be... Kiyohei isn't just an innocent newcomer, but a hidden expert who has seen through all my actions?

Does he know about my cooperation with Kuroki and has been silently mocking me all this time?

Kumagai fell into a state of bewilderment, but at this moment, no one paid attention to him anymore. Everyone's gaze was focused on the final showdown between Kiyohei and Kuroki.

21 points against 20 points.

The game with a wager of 400,000 yen ended like this.

Kiyohei drew a blackjack at the last moment, undoubtedly becoming the winner.

"How is that possible? How could his hidden card be an 8!?" When Kuroki saw Kiyohei's hidden card, his pupils contracted, and he shouted in disbelief.

Kiyohei's hidden card was an 8, adding to the visible 10, he already had 18 points from the deal, and yet he dared to request another card?

18 points - 20 points - 21 points.

How could Kiyohei dare to do that?

Especially the last time, how could he dare to draw an A from the deck with such a low probability?

Now Kuroki understood the unusual actions of Kumagai, why his signals kept changing—Kumagai was doing his best to signal "no."

"Kuroki, it seems like I've won this gamble," Kiyohei lifted his head, smiling, as if the victory in this game was effortless, not showing any excitement, forming a stark contrast with Kuroki.

In reality, that was the case. Kiyohei felt that this victory in the gamble was truly effortless.

After Kumagai dealt the cards, the voice of the system echoed in Kiyohei's mind. Initially, it signaled him not to take any action, but after Kuroki drew a card, the system also instructed Kiyohei to follow suit.

Even the final draw, Kiyohei acted under the guidance of the system.

When those poker cards fanned out in front of him, the back of the card that the system instructed him to draw emitted a golden light, guiding Kiyohei to pick the card.

The system marked four cards in total, and Kiyohei just happened to select the Ace of Clubs. He didn't know about Kumagai's complex mental process.

Compared to this easily achieved victory, Kiyohei was more concerned about his safety net system.

Through this gamble, Kiyohei realized that the "safety net mechanism" of the system was constantly adapting to the changing reality in real-time.

This meant... the system didn't possess the ability to change cards or mechanically intervene. Its safety net mechanism was more like an all-knowing and all-powerful deity guiding him to victory, but the specific actions still depended on himself.

This was Kiyohei's own analysis—

He didn't know about Kumagai secretly counting cards and manipulating the game, nor did he know about Kumagai's sudden dizziness and confusion.

Speaking of which, if he didn't follow the system's guidance, intentionally disregarded its commands, and chose to actively surrender, how would the system react to ensure his victory?

Various thoughts and ideas emerged in Kiyohei's mind, eager to test the various mechanisms of this safety net system.

However, now wasn't a good time.

Kiyohei reached out his hand, asking Kuroki for his 400,000 yen.

"Kuroki, can you give me the money?" This money originally belonged to him, so it was returning to its rightful owner.

Kuroki was somewhat unwilling, but he had to accept his loss and reluctantly returned the money to Kiyohei.

However, upon seeing Kiyohei's smile, an unnamed anger suddenly rose within him. His mind went blank, and he angrily slammed the table, "Kiyohei, you must have cheated! How could you draw two cards in a row without going bust? I don't believe it!"

That's right, this guy must have cheated! Otherwise, how could he have beaten me, even with Kumagai's help?

The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became.

Kiyohei sighed helplessly, "Kuroki, you were the one who brought out this deck of cards, and you found the dealer. Even in this gambling hall, it was my first time here. Why would you accuse me of cheating?"

Although he did cheat, he certainly couldn't admit it. Moreover, even if he did admit it and say he won with the help of the system's power, few people would believe it.

"I know you're frustrated because you lost, but a loss is a loss. You should accept the reality," Kiyohei placed the 400,000 yen back on the gambling table, speaking calmly, "If you're still dissatisfied, we can gamble again, with the wager still being 400,000 yen."