Kakegurui: Ten Consecutive Guaranteed Hits

Volume 1 Chapter 9: Chess Room? No! It’s A Casino!

Start talking about gambling right off the bat?

Although Kiyohei was somewhat surprised by his words, he had prepared himself mentally beforehand and quickly caught on.

"I don't mind gambling," Kiyohei said, frowning, "but we're still new to each other, aren't we?"

"It's precisely because we're not familiar that we should give it a try," the other boy grinned. "In this school, not gambling is unacceptable. You might end up isolated, you know."

This guy really knew how to talk. How could someone be isolated just because they didn't gamble? Was this guy a gambling addict or something...

Kiyohei rolled his eyes in his mind, but considering that playing cards could indeed help build camaraderie, he didn't refuse him.

"In that case, I agree, but let's wait until after class," Kiyohei reminded him, glancing up at the teacher lecturing on the podium.

Although there was clearly some commotion here, the teacher didn't show any signs of stopping and continued teaching from the textbook.

"Okay..." The guy seemed eager, but he resisted the urge and turned his head. While appearing to watch the teacher, he actually had his attention on Kiyohei, occasionally stealing glances.

Kiyohei looked around and noticed that several other new students were also being approached by people, possibly receiving similar gambling invitations.

He noticed that many people around were listening intently to their conversation, secretly watching him, and whispering to the people around them.

As a transfer student, he knew he would be the subject of gossip. Kiyohei had long prepared himself, stayed calm, and ignored the surrounding noise.

When the bell rang at the end of the class, a group of people swarmed around Kiyohei, crowding him so tightly that it was hard to move.

Not only boys but also girls stared at him with fiery eyes. He felt uncomfortable being the center of attention like this.

Was this the way new students were welcomed?

Apart from him, several other new students were also surrounded, with seven or eight people in front of each of them.

The people around them were also staring at Kiyohei with fanatical eyes, as if he were a lamb about to be slaughtered.

"Where should we gamble?" Kiyohei asked.

"You haven't been to the chess room, have you? Let me take you there."

The guy turned around and walked to the front door of the classroom, closing it. Kiyohei realized then that there was another door at the classroom entrance, leading to another room.

When Kiyohei first entered the school building, he was curious because from the outside, each classroom seemed spacious, but the actual interior was not that big.

So there's a hidden world here.

Surrounded by people, Kiyohei entered the room, and the furnishings inside left him speechless.

The room had a soft soundproof carpet on the floor, with a dozen small gambling tables neatly arranged with playing cards, dice, steel balls, and chips placed on top.

In the corner of the room, there were slot machines, pachinko machines, and other devices.

There was no clock or windows in this room. Dim floor lamps illuminated the room from above, making it impossible to sense the time, whether it was day or night outside.

This was definitely not just a "chess room" as the guy had mentioned. It was a small-scale casino!

When the guy suggested gambling, Kiyohei wasn't surprised, but seeing this complete gambling setup truly astonished him.

Kiyohei realized that the "gambling" this guy mentioned was not something casual.

Just as Kiyohei turned around, the guy smiled and stopped him.

"Ayanokoji, where are you going? Didn't we agree to gamble?" the guy said.

Kiyohei frowned. "I'm okay with playing with you, but this is a full-fledged casino setup, isn't it? Don't you know that gambling is illegal in Japan?"

"Illegal?" Kiyohei's words seemed to hit the guy's funny bone. He couldn't stop laughing and had to support himself on Kiyohei's shoulder for a while before he finally calmed down.

"You're right, gambling is illegal. But if nobody talks about it, who would know?" He looked at Kiyohei, the smile on his face growing broader. "Ayanokoji-san, did you forget about the school rules?"

School rules?

Kiyohei also thought about the school rules.

[Rule 1: Do not disclose the specific regulations of the school to the outside world.]

Violators... will be fined 10 million yen.

So that's it... Kiyohei let out a slow breath.

No wonder they weren't worried about anyone blabbing. This was a written agreement, and once it was leaked, it would incur a massive fine.

Even if someone secretly spread the news online, the students attending this school were the children of nobles from various industries, and it would be easy to suppress any information. Perhaps, no, certainly there were connections with the police as well.

Anyone thinking of reporting it was just wishful thinking.

The school's second rule: [You cannot choose to voluntarily drop out; once enrolled, you must complete your studies.]

He couldn't just turn around and leave.

Kiyohei finally realized that he had indeed been deceived by his own cheap father.

In a school where gambling was prevalent like this, the 2 million yen he was given was probably just a drop in the bucket.

No wonder when the senior sent him the admission letter, he seemed hesitant and reluctant, not wanting him to come to this school. So that's how it is...

Fortunately, he has a hidden reserve of funds, otherwise he would have been completely taken advantage of.

Once Kiyohei realized this, he no longer resisted and confidently found an empty table to sit down on.

"I understand, let's start gambling then." He made a gesture, motioning for the man to come over.

A sudden change in Kiyohei's demeanor surprised the man and disappointed him as he had hoped to see a good show. Nevertheless, he still sat across from Kiyohei.

"Poker, dice, mahjong... what do you want to play?" the man asked eagerly.

"Let's play poker," Kiyohei replied. When it comes to gambling, Kiyohei naturally thought of poker, influenced by the many Hong Kong works he had seen.

"Do you have Dou Di Zhu?" Kiyohei blurted out.

"What's that?" The man tilted his head, looking unfamiliar with the game.

"It's a popular poker game in China, the rules are..." Kiyohei was about to explain, but seeing the impatient expressions around him, he stopped.

Kiyohei realized that he had come to a parallel world that was very similar, but not exactly the same. He hadn't researched it, so it's possible that the game of Dou Di Zhu hadn't been invented here.

He cleared his throat and said, "Then let's play Blackjack then."

Blackjack, also known as twenty-one, was a well-known game played around the world with a long history. It originated in France and has spread worldwide. It is played by 2 to 6 people using a deck of 52 cards, excluding the jokers. The goal of the game is to have a hand value as close to 21 as possible without exceeding it.

The rules of the game were simple and popular worldwide. The man sitting across from Kiyohei, who looked like an experienced gambler, naturally knew it.

"Hey, you there, bring me a deck of cards!" he shouted at a male student who was organizing props in a corner.

The person's hands trembled as he put down the chips he was organizing, and he walked over to the cabinet where the props were stored. He took out a brand new deck of cards and walked over to them.

Kiyohei noticed that he was wearing a name tag similar to the one worn by the man he had encountered earlier: "Stupid Dog."

Kiyohei frowned slightly. Was this how classmates should be treated? Even if they were friends, calling someone a "Stupid Dog" seemed excessive.

Could it be...

Was this name tag actually a form of identification?