235 Yumeko's Defeat
"Because—"
"All the playing cards of the baseball club were secretly swapped out by Shishiba-san, weren't they?"
"What?!"
At these words, all the girls were shocked. They all turned their eyes toward the Ougatou sisters.
The Ougatou sisters looked horrified.
"How could this be... The morning before yesterday when we came to the clubroom, the main door was open, but we didn't think much of it. Don't tell me she took that chance..."
"All the cards in the clubroom were laid out, gathered, and reordered by Shishiba-san using a pattern of incrementing every three cards.
Then she had the dealer use one-handed shuffling. That means all the subsequent cards were within her calculations."
"And I suspect... this is only the first layer." Yumeko's expression turned slightly cold. "I'm afraid that later, a certain card will deliberately break the pattern by skipping a number, causing a flaw in my calculation, luring us into continuing to bet—and in the end, she'll swallow the entire baseball club whole."
"In such a situation, there's no way to turn the tables. From the moment we sat at the card table, the outcome was already decided. I've only realized it now."
"Rather than continuing to raise bets and gamble on a certain loss, it's better to admit defeat now and cut our losses." Yumeko sighed, accepting her defeat, and looked sincerely at Shishiba Yue. Though she was the enemy, she couldn't help but admire her opponent's skill.
This was the second time Yumeko had lost a gamble since arriving at Hyakkaou Private Academy.
The first was to Momobami's Kirari game. This time, it was to Shishiba Yue's card replacement tactic.
The two were surprisingly similar in a way.
Even though one party was planning and the other not, a loss is still a loss.
If she had requested a brand-new, unopened deck of cards from the beginning, perhaps this defeat could have been avoided. But now… it was too late.
"What a shame. I was so close to swallowing up this baseball club," Shishiba Yue sighed as well.
Just a little bit more, and the baseball club represented by Jabami Yumeko would have completely fallen into her trap.
Everyone would have become her livestock.
But now, because Yumeko noticed in time and stopped the losses, the result was minimized.
She glanced around at the many beautiful senior girls and slowly revealed her fangs.
Since Hikigaya Hachiman refused to accept her apology, she would force him to apologize in her own way.
Turning his women into her dogs—this would be the most fatal revenge!
She took out a die. "There are six senior girls here, right?"
"Then, based on your positions now, whichever number comes up, that senior will become my personal pet. No objections, right?"
Shishiba Yue shook the collar and leash in her hand and eagerly tossed the die.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, the die spun quickly, then gradually lost momentum and came to a stop.
"Number 1. Then... Saotome-senpai, today you'll be my personal pet~"
Shishiba Yue felt a slight sense of disappointment. She had wanted Jabami Yumeko to become her pet. Only that would deliver the most satisfying revenge.
According to her investigation, Saotome Mary and Hikigaya Hachiman didn't have any substantial relationship.
If that's the case, then all she achieved was removing an important subordinate from him—nothing more.
"..."
Saotome's face darkened. She wrapped her left arm over her right and turned her head away, not daring to meet Shishiba Ai's jet-black eyes.
To become the personal pet of a junior two years younger than herself—it was simply too humiliating.
"Please stretch your head over on your own, Saotome-senpai~ Surely you're not thinking of defying Hyakkaou Academy's rules?"
"Even though I'm younger, the middle school division of Hyakkaou also has its own gambling system. Don't worry, senpai—I'll treat you gently using the middle school division's methods." Shishiba Ai kept repeating "middle school" to mentally wear down Saotome Mary.
At Hyakkaou Middle School, there was a gambling system as well.
Losers would also become pets, but it wasn't as strict as in the high school division.
Even as pets, they wouldn't be forced into anything too excessive.
At most, they'd serve as human chairs, change socks, or clean feet.
"Now, Saotome-senpai, get down and be my human chair!" Shishiba Yue said excitedly.
After all, before the Great Bloom Festival, she was merely a branch member of the Mibuomi family. She held a certain amount of power, but not much.
To turn a high school senior into her pet—this was a completely unprecedented experience for her.
Tasting power for the first time thrilled her completely. Her ambition unknowingly expanded. She wanted to devour Hikigaya Hachiman, then go for the student council that Mibuomi Aoi had always aimed for, and through that, seize control of all Hyakkaou Academy.
And in the end... the Mibuomi family itself.
She would prove herself as the strongest using her status as a middle schooler!
What Mibuomi Aoi couldn't do, she not only could—but would do better!
Saotome Mary looked bleak, but she also knew that defying the gambling agreement was impossible.
Her delicate body trembled as she bowed her proud head and slowly lay down on the floor.
Shishiba Yue moved gently, buckling the collar around Saotome's fair neck, and then unceremoniously sat her elastic bottom down on Mary's waist.
"On the other side... they should be arriving about now too." She muttered to herself.
The baseball clubroom fell into silence, only the faint sound of Saotome's shallow breathing could be heard. A suffocating pressure loomed over everyone.
Finally—
Hikigaya arrived at the baseball clubroom.
The two clubrooms were separated by several buildings, so it took Hikigaya ten minutes to arrive.
The moment he opened the door, he saw Saotome Mary already being used as a human chair, and his heart sank heavily.
"She... really lost."
Even Yumeko lost?
"I'm sorry, Hachiman. I lost to Shishiba-san," Yumeko lowered her head, looking somewhat dejected.
"Haha, Hikigaya-senpai, I won!" Gouto Mikoto exclaimed excitedly.
Though it was just a casual gambling remark between them, a win was a win.
She believed someone like Hikigaya wouldn't be so petty as to deny it.
"Hey, hey, Hikigaya-senpai! Hurry up and kneel down to clean my feet."
The wicked little devil Gouto Mikoto couldn't wait. She sat down in a chair, took off her girlish leather boots, and dangled her white-socked feet at Hikigaya like ice cream.
Hikigaya's expression instantly turned ugly.
Yumeko stared blankly at the scene before her, her heart pounding.
"This can't happen!" Yumeko stepped forward decisively, blocking Hikigaya behind her, and smiled at Gouto Mikoto. "Let me, as his girlfriend, do it in his place."
236 [Feudal Game Gambling] — All Are Equal Beneath the Self
"Eh? Another senior?" Gouto Mikoto pressed her chin with a troubled expression. "But I already played with a second-year senior. Although Jabami-senpai isn't bad, Hikigaya-senpai is definitely more interesting."
"So, it's a no~"
"Hurry up, Hikigaya-senpai." Gouto Mikoto swayed her ice cream—something irresistibly tempting for certain groups.
Hikigaya Hachiman's face grew extremely grim. Was he really going to...?
He turned to look at Shishiba Yua. "Enough of these meaningless games. You came to the high school division to gamble with me, didn't you?"
"Yes, that's right. But before the final showdown, please fulfill your previous wager first, Hikigaya-senpai~ Or... do you want me instead?" Saying this, Shishiba Yua lifted her slender long leg.
Hikigaya clenched his fists.
Though he didn't want to admit it, he had indeed been outmaneuvered by Shishiba Yua and her crew.
Because they were middle schoolers, he had underestimated them.
But if they had managed to defeat Yumeko... maybe it was using that wolverine-like gambling strategy from before?
In his line of sight, Gouto Mikoto and Shishiba Yua's long legs were inching closer and closer. Just as Hikigaya was about to start the foot-cleaning...
"Ding-dong~ Excuse me, everyone." The voice of the clubroom administrator rang out unexpectedly.
Her voice caught everyone's attention, even Shishiba Yua momentarily forgot to continue humiliating Hikigaya.
"On behalf of the Public Morals Committee Chair, Juraku Sachiko-sama, I invite Hikigaya Hachiman and Shishiba Yua to participate in the [Feudal Game Gambling]. Would the two of you be willing?"
"[Feudal Game Gambling]?" Shishiba Yua's breath hitched.
She had heard of that game. Back when she was in first year, Momobami Kirari was in her first year of high school.
It was through this very game that Kirari crushed the previous student council president and claimed the position for herself.
It was a game designed by that woman's own hand.
"This is her challenge to me, delivered through Juraku Sachiko!"
If she could defeat Hikigaya and Juraku Sachiko in that game... she could challenge her!
Shishiba Yua's heart pounded.
Her own grand banquet, her ascent to godhood—it all seemed just within reach.
Even humiliating Hikigaya Hachiman didn't seem so appealing anymore.
Hikigaya exchanged a glance with Yumeko.
Both saw the confusion in the other's eyes—they didn't know what Juraku Sachiko was up to.
As a third-year senior who had worked in the student council since the previous term, Miharutaki Sakura knew some of the hidden truths.
She leaned close to Hikigaya and whispered seriously about the details of the gamble.
"A king-election game... designed by Momobami Kirari?!" Hikigaya's heart jumped.
During the last student council election, Kirari used this game to completely crush the then-president and vice-president.
Her godlike gambling presence shocked the entire school.
It was due to Kirari's terrifying strength that the improved livestock system was implemented without resistance—no one dared to challenge her afterward.
"I accept." Hikigaya said without hesitation. Although he didn't yet know the rules of this feudal game or Juraku Sachiko's intentions, he still chose to step up.
Participating in a current gamble would temporarily suspend previous wager obligations.
Shishiba Yua understood this too.
She sighed with some regret, "Hikigaya-senpai sure is lucky. Escaping the punishment... But since even senpai is joining the gamble, I have no reason to decline. I accept too."
"Bingo! Since both of you agreed, the gamble is officially on. Anyone who wants to watch can follow me."
Led by the dealer, everyone arrived at a small door.
Why "small"? Because the door was so low one had to crawl through it—bending over wasn't even enough.
"What is this?" Everyone was confused.
The administrator smiled sweetly: "Apologies—this activity room belongs to Juraku Sachiko-sama. The main entrance is only for her. The rest of us must crawl through this small door~"
Hikigaya's eyes glinted. "Sen no Rikyū, huh..."
"Eh? Hachiman, what are you talking about?"
Hikigaya explained, "Sen no Rikyū was a tea master in ancient Japan. He invented this type of crawl-door, called nijiriguchi. All his tea rooms used it to embody the principle: 'Regardless of rank or status, all are equal in life.'"
"However..." His mouth twitched. "Under Juraku Sachiko's interpretation, this ideal has been twisted into: All are equal beneath me."
"This is just perversion, Jurako-senpai. You taught me not to grovel before ants..."
He shook his head. Juraku-senpai... was now technically his woman. A trivial indulgence—he'd let her have it.
He got down on all fours, lowered his head, and crawled through the Sen-no-Rikyū door.
Initially narrow, just enough for a person—but then, suddenly spacious.
What first entered his sight was a pair of red patent leather high heels. The owner seemed to be in a great mood—the stiletto heels swung in midair.
"Welcome to my private space, Hikigaya-kun~"
"Wanna give them a lick?" She loosened her foot, letting only her toes hold the heel's tip. Her semi-transparent black stockings revealed an elegant curve as her foot playfully bounced in the air.
"This doesn't feel like a welcome, Juraku-senpai." Hikigaya stood up and brushed dust from his hands, not glancing sideways. "Let's not. I don't have that kind of fetish."
"Oh? You sure? You looked like you were enjoying it in the baseball clubroom~"
"Cough." Face turning red, Hikigaya interrupted her with a polite cough.
The other girls followed in after him.
Shishiba Yua frowned, visibly angry.
The gamble hadn't even started, and yet Momobami Kirari had already taken liberties.
It was unacceptable.
She aspired to stand at the top and wield supreme power.
Crossing her arms, her immature face carried an uncharacteristic sternness. "No wonder your room is full of perversions."
"You use the normal-sized door behind you, right?"
"You just want to see others bow and crawl at your feet. That's why you made our door like this."
"So petty. You do this just to feed your cheap pride?"
Gouto Mikoto broke into a cold sweat and cast a fearful glance toward Juraku.
She tugged on Yua's sleeve. "Yua, be careful how you talk to Juraku-senpai. She's scary...!"
But Yua ignored her, eyes black and fixed on Juraku: "If Momobami Kirari came, would you dare make her crawl through that door?"
Heh—
Juraku's catlike eyes looked down on Yua with utter disdain. She wasn't angered. "If it's the President, of course she uses the normal door. But you? Already comparing yourself to the President?"
"I'll defeat her one day," Yua replied confidently. "I'm only in second-year middle school now, so we'll never overlap. But before she graduates, I'll crush her completely."
"Only one god may exist at Hyakkaou Academy—and that god is me."
"As expected of Mibuomi's cousin... Your ambitions are the same—one in light, one in shadow." Juraku sounded regretful. "But neither of you will ever surpass the President."
"Let's see about that."
The air seemed to chill. An invisible clash rippled through the gathered girls.
CLAP! The administrator clasped her hands.
"Now that all three players are here, let me explain the rules!"
"Today's gamble is the legendary [Feudal Game Gambling], designed personally by President Momobami Kirari!"
"It has only been played once before, and that match secured Kirari's rise to power. You three will now compete in this fabled game!"
"Here is the prologue written by the President herself—allow me to read it."
"In the Middle Ages, Europe lived under feudalism. Knights swore loyalty to kings in exchange for land. Peasants worked the land under the knights' rule. This hierarchy defined medieval Europe. But there was a saying: The vassal of my vassal is not my vassal. Peasants under knights didn't serve the king directly. This game was designed with that principle."
"Now look here." She revealed three shining checks. "Each worth 500 million yen. That's 1.5 billion yen total. You'll each get five chips—each worth 100 million yen."
"And three types of pieces: King x1, Knight x2, Peasant x3."
"The rules are simple:
One round: bet 1 chip. Choose 1 piece (no repeats until all are used). Winner takes all 3 chips. Reset pieces next round. Repeat until one player runs out of chips and is eliminated. The remaining two can agree to a draw. If not, game continues until one more is eliminated."
"Wait! That means one round could cost 100 million yen!" Gouto Mikoto cried. "We don't have that kind of money!"
Due to her family's limited support, Shishiba Yua didn't control anywhere near 500 million yen.
"Allow me to finish. This money is a gift... from Juraku-sama."
"A gift?"
"Because to the loser, money is the least of their worries."
"Let me explain further." Juraku stood, her waist-length hair creating an overwhelming presence. "This game has no draws. It will continue until the end—until one winner remains."
"In Kirari's original game, the then-president and vice-president were forced to gamble to the bitter end because of these same rules."
"To me, the vassal of my vassal is still my vassal."
"The final winner becomes the King. The second eliminated becomes the Slave. The first out is the Slave's slave."
"The King can freely humiliate or command the Slave and the Slave's slave. The Slave can control the slave beneath them."
"This hierarchy continues until I graduate."
"Fun, right?"
"Heh—" A strained smile appeared on Yua's face. From the start, this woman never planned to let anyone escape. She wanted both her and Hikigaya as her slaves.
But this was also her chance.
If she won, both Juraku and Hikigaya would become her slaves.
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
She could humiliate Hikigaya and complete her family mission—raising her status within the Mibuomi household.
She could also make Juraku Sachiko, that high-and-mighty woman, clean her feet!
"I won't lose!!"
Just then, Hikigaya raised his hand. "I object."
He pointed at Yua. "She's just a middle schooler. Even as a slave... I can't accept that. Not emotionally."
What a joke. This would bring them right back to square one.
Yua first approached him to atone—offering herself in servitude. Now she'd lose and become a slave again?
Hikigaya wouldn't lay a hand on her, and yet would bear the risk of losing this gamble? Pointless.
"Then just beat me~" Juraku smiled meaningfully. "I'm more interested in this middle school girl anyway.
Never had one as a pet before~ Besides, you might get to make me your slave too."
"Both of you, shut up!" Yua's eyes were black with fury. She grinned eerily. "Don't act like it's already decided. I'll make both of you my slaves."
"I'll make you both kneel and clean my feet."
"Especially you, Juraku Sachiko. So proud, aren't you? I'll have you clean while licking up Hikigaya's spit. I'll make you feel the ultimate humiliation!"