#896 Can Revolution be Allowed in Another World?

After wrapping up the trial run at the farm, the real deal with playing cards was about to begin...!

Though, it’s just playing normally with the family.

Would my child, Junior, find it enjoyable, being the main goal here?

Could a five-year-old grasp the system of playing cards...? I wondered, but...

“Evolution King, Royal Straight Flush!”

Turns out he got it just fine.

He remembered such complex terms from among the card games...

And then, my wife Platy hops on the bandwagon, too...

“Huff huff, I see. So from eleven to thirteen, they’re treated the same as ten? And one can be used flexibly as either eleven or something else as it suits? And if you go over twenty-two, you lose...?!”

She’s catching on to the card games, joining in on the fun after her son.

Meanwhile, our second son, Norito, is not yet at an age to grasp it.

Thus, there were nights filled with laughter and enjoyment as we dabbled in card games as a family...

***

One day, a familiar group gathered at the farm.

The Demon King.

Arowana.

Back in the farm's early days, they frequently dropped by to hang out, but as representatives of the Demon and Mermaid Kingdoms respectively, and further as fathers themselves, their visits dwindled. 

Such is the way of men’s friendships.

It’s a rare gathering, one that should be fully utilized. 

Like showing off the new item I developed! 

Well, not that I was the one who developed it!

“Ho-ho, so Lord Saint has created something new again?”

“Every visit brings a fresh surprise.”

Both the Demon King and Arowana showed keen interest in the cards.

Naturally, slipping into a game became an unspoken agreement among men.

Let’s have a duel!

“Mm!”

“I accept!”

A little break from parenting, reverting from fathers to just guys, wouldn’t hurt.

Now, what card game would be fitting for grown men gathered together?

I want something more cerebral than usual, something that would require the wisdom of peers rather than the boisterous fun with children...

But aiming for Poker, Blackjack, or Baccarat seemed a bit too pretentious. 

It felt like, “Look at me, getting all smug.”

Is there a card game that hits the sweet spot without being too complex or simplistic...?

...

I’ve got it.

“Daifugo (President)?”

Such a game exists.

A luminous sanctuary only for the chosen.

...But I’ve never played Daifugo...

Because I wasn’t among the chosen. 

Only they can partake in Daifugo.

Typically, it’s played with a certain number of people, four being common.

That’s a high barrier to start with. 

How does one without friends even begin to gather enough players?

However, the same could be said for simpler games like Old Maid or Sevens, which even children might grasp and have played with family.

But Daifugo’s rules are complex!

The basic rule of outdoing the previously played card is simple enough, but then there are baffling rules like being able to dump all cards of the same number at once and the strongest card being two!

Why is two the strongest?!

One makes sense!

One, also known as Ace, carries a sense of specialness, usually stronger than the King in other games. 

While everyone treats the Ace specially, why does Daifugo elevate something else above it?

That’s just the tip of the iceberg of Daifugo’s complexity, but even more baffling are the local rules.

Compared to the complexity of “two being the strongest,” local rules like “Eight Enders,” “Taxation,” “Suit Lock,” “Stairs,” “Natural Disasters,” “Eleven Back,” “Mana Burn,” “Demotion,”...

It’s too complicated and utterly bewildering...!

Why try to distinguish each region with unique rules?!

Is the goal to promote local tourism with Daifugo?!

Such complicated, bizarre rules that a child couldn’t possibly remember them all.

It’s much easier to learn Poker hands.

So, what I’m saying is that enjoying and mastering Daifugo requires at least a late elementary school-level intellect (biased)!

By the time one reaches that age, playing card games with family starts to feel embarrassing (adolescence).

That’s why the only option for co-players is to find them yourself. 

And who might that be at that age? Right... friends!!!

If you want to play Daifugo, it has to be with friends!!!

Imagine the hurdle that presents! For loners, the difficulty is formidable!!!

In a way, more adult card games like Poker or Blackjack are easier.

After all, you can just go to a casino where the dealer will play with you.

A noble pastime permitted only in the bloom of youth for those among the chosen!

Daifugo!

To loners, how forbidding this hallowed ground of the socially adept seems!!!

As such, Daifugo could arguably be considered the card game of the extroverts (exaggerated)! 

The very act of ranking players as “millionaires” and “paupers” is part of the game!

 Extroverts love to establish such hierarchies!!!

Thus, Daifugo remained a sacred domain unreachable to me during my school days.

But now, having crossed into another world with affable peers of my age, I can step in!

“Let’s play Daifugo.”

“Oh! What a grand name indeed!!”

Everyone was enthusiastic, and Daifugo began promptly.

However, understanding the rules took quite some time.

“Hm? Why is two the strongest number?”

“Eight Enders? Seven Pass? Six Return? Skipping Tens? There are various rules based on numbers?”

But they’re kings of their respective realms.

They caught on incredibly fast, absorbing Daifugo’s bizarre and mystic rules smoothly.

Everything is set for the game to begin!!!

...Wait.

I thought, just before we started.

The concept of a millionaire is a capitalist idea.

Someone who possesses a lot of money is a millionaire.

Is it really okay to introduce such a game to pure monarchs... embodiments of the feudal system, like the Demon King and Arowana?

Moreover, Daifugo has that one rule that always makes its presence felt, regardless of the local rules mixed in.

Revolution.

The concept where playing four cards of the same number can completely flip the hierarchy of card strength!

But isn’t “revolution” the most dreaded catastrophe in any kingdom?!

It’s like if, in religious terms, Armageddon occurred and Satan triumphed!

Is it really okay to expose two noble kings to such a concept, even in the context of a game? 

And to potentially have them initiate a revolution themselves during play?!

The thought alone is thrillingly blasphemous...!

Is it really okay?

To start a game of Daifugo with this group...?!

“I’m deeply moveeeeeeeeeeeeeeed!!!”

What now?!

Who’s barging in on my internal conflict?

Who is it?

Ritheseus?!

With the Demon King, the Mermaid King, and now the Human President, the leaders of three races are all present!

Is this the beginning of a summit?

“I came to seek advice on promoting democracy, but to think you had already prepared such an insightful answer before I even asked! As expected of Lord Saint! My mind is blown!!!”

What are you on about?

President Ritheseus is becoming increasingly peculiar in character. 

He’s well beyond the realm of “positions shape people.”

“Millionaires! Paupers! Revolution! Concepts not found in a monarchy but present in democracy learned through a game! How beneficial! I wish to spread this game throughout the Human Kingdom immediately!!!”

Hold your horses.

Everyone’s so quick to spread whatever I recreate in this world!

“That’s a splendid idea! Lord Saint, we shall also disseminate these card decks across the Demon Kingdom to bring peace to our people!”

“Is there a waterproof version of the cards?!”

The Demon King and Arowana are both optimistic about this!

Ultimately, I couldn’t stop the spread of playing cards in this other world.

And so, the game of Daifugo was played by two kings, a president, and a saint, and it turned out to be quite the hit.