"Raise, three chips."
Despite holding three Kings, Sayaka Igarashi didn't go all in. She just modestly raised by three chips.
It created the illusion of strength without scaring off her opponents. A huge bet might make them fold too early.
Basic strategy, but Naoki was sure the three ghost players would follow.
After all, they were cheating. They had managed to form a Three-of-a-Kind.
Three chips weren't enough to make them fold.
The spiky-haired ghost flipped his cards. "Not feeling good about this one. I fold."
The long-haired guy folded too.
Naoki, of course, wasn't going to follow through to the final round and folded as well.
Only the long-haired girl remained, staring intently at Sayaka.
She picked up three chips. "Call."
The ghost side flipped the final community card.
It was a 9. No surprises there.
"Raise, five chips!"
Sayaka bet again, confident from observing the opponent's weak hand.
The long-haired ghost frowned but called.
Too bad for her.
She trusted her own cheating. But she wasn't the only one doing it.
Seeing Sayaka's pair of Kings, the ghost girl darkened.
So unlucky, even in death?
"Wow, Senpai, you're amazing!"
Naoki praised her at the perfect time.
Instead of finding her annoying like before, Sayaka felt conflicted.
Wasn't it Naoki who helped her?
"Hmph, just one round. Don't think you'll stay lucky."
The long-haired ghost was irritable, understandably. She just lost 12 chips in one go.
The three ghosts exchanged glances. The air turned colder.
Naoki felt uneasy. Were they about to cheat even more blatantly?
Luckily, because of Naoki's earlier complaints, it was now their turn to shuffle.
"Senpai, let me shuffle this round."
Activating her Ghost Hand ability, Naoki went on the offensive. She aimed to set up a perfect hand and grab a pile of chips.
Sayaka nodded. The trust from Naoki's earlier King setup gave her confidence.
During the shuffle, Naoki cleverly hid that she only had one personal card, having placed the other King into the public pool earlier.
Now, during the shuffle, she secretly pulled out four Aces.
Thanks to her ability, she could flip the deck, find the four Aces, and plan the seating so the right people got the right cards.
Something impossible without Ghost Hand.
Why cheat so openly?
Because the ghosts were cheating too.
She gave herself two Aces and left the other two for the public cards.
Now the challenge was getting the ghosts to bet big.
Looking at their current hands, Naoki saw nothing good. No pairs or same-suit cards.
If she raised too early, it would scream "I have a pair" and make them fold.
"No raise."
Naoki kept calm.
The flop revealed one Ace.
Uh-oh. The ghosts' hands were still weak. If she pushed too hard now, they might give up.
Still, she needed to make money. Wasting such a good setup would be a shame.
Then, the ghosts started using telekinesis to swap cards again.
Right. Naoki nearly forgot they could do that.
Now, among six cards, they had matched suits clubs and diamonds.
Unfortunately, the table now showed two diamonds: an Ace and a 3.
One more diamond, and they'd have a flush.
And a flush beats a straight and a Three-of-a-Kind. That would be trouble.
Fortunately, Naoki had four Aces.
Let them think they had a chance.
The odds seemed like 50-50. But in truth, it was 25% the next card was the Ace of clubs.
"Raise, five chips!"
Naoki went bold.
The three ghosts eyed her.
"Good cards? That boldness suggests at least a pair, maybe Three-of-a-Kind."
They hesitated. Two folded, leaving the spiky-haired ghost to call, hoping for the flush.
"Call."
Sayaka glanced at Naoki and folded.
"Fold."
Two teammates holding chips was better than one going all in.
Now it was just Naoki and the spiky-haired ghost.
Naoki was sure she'd win. The only question: how much could she earn?
The fourth card flipped. It was the Ace of clubs.
The ghost frowned.
If Naoki had a pair, then she now had a Full House. Even if he landed a flush, she'd still win.
But... did she really have Three-of-a-Kind?
Naoki stayed calm. "No raise."
Her poker face made him doubt.
If she had a Full House, why not raise?
"No raise."
The fifth card flipped: the 6 of diamonds.
A diamond!
He nearly jumped with joy. He had his flush.
Now, how much should he bet?
Five chips? Too little.
Naoki only had 26 left. If he went over half, she might fold.
He figured she had Two Pairs.
"Raise, eight chips!"
Thirteen chips total. Would she call?
Naoki glanced down. Thirteen chips probably his max bet.
Even cheating, going all in takes guts.
"Call."
Her response made the ghost smile.
No need to hide anymore.
"Flush!"
He showed his diamond cards.
Naoki smirked and flipped her Aces.
"Sorry. I have four Aces."
Four?
No way!
The ghosts stared, speechless.
"You cheated!"
The long-haired girl snapped.
No one gets four Aces fairly.
The other two looked at Naoki suspiciously.
Naoki sneered. "Don't accuse me. I'm just a normal student. You're ghosts. How could I cheat under your noses?"
That shut them up.
Right. They were ghosts. And they'd been cheating.
And still lost.
The spiky-haired ghost looked shaken.
The long-haired girl still didn't believe it.
But Naoki didn't care. Suspicion meant nothing without proof.
If they pushed her, she could expose their own card-switching tricks.
Thirteen chips in one round. Naoki now had 39.
Two losses in a row. The ghosts were furious.
Dead, with supernatural powers, and still losing? How pathetic.
It was the ghosts' turn to shuffle again. Naoki watched them closely.
They were going to cheat again. She could feel it.
Their psychic shuffle was more dangerous than sleight of hand.
She grabbed Sayaka. "Watch the shuffle. Don't blink."
Cards flew and mixed at inhuman speed.
Afterward, Naoki said, "Wait. That shuffle could be rigged. Let's add a cut rule."
The long-haired ghost glared at her.
Naoki held her gaze, righteous.
Cutting the deck was a common anti-cheat method.
"Fine. Which card do you cut at?"
Naoki scanned the deck with X-ray Vision. "Seventeenth."
The deal proceeded.
Naoki's cut gave her a pair of Jacks. The ghosts had nothing.
Cutting limited cheating. Unlike shuffling, it was harder to manipulate.
But then came the flop. The ghosts landed a straight.
Naoki signaled Sayaka. They both folded, losing only the blinds.
The ghosts roared.
"You're cheating too! Why fold when we have great hands?"
Sayaka mocked them. "Even dead, you're just as weak. Always blaming others."
Naoki: ...
"Senpai, maybe don't provoke them? What if they get mad and kill us?"
"If they're the kind who break rules, it doesn't matter if we win."
Naoki: I'm not ready to die, thanks.
The ghosts glared but said nothing.
Naoki had a hunch.
If they were that angry, why not flip the table?
Maybe... they had rules too?
At Hyakkaou Academy, that would make sense.
Even dead, they had to follow gambling rules.
Which meant they couldn't hurt them unless they lost.
Naoki shuffled again, rigging another strong hand.
The ghosts were terrible at catching her sleight of hand. Their own trick telekinesis was predictable.
Naoki could see through it and counter every move.
Half an hour later, the ghosts were broke.
Their faces twisted in disbelief. Powers and all, and they still lost.
"You cheated. We just can't prove it."
Naoki: ...
Maybe it helped them feel better.
But in this academy, getting away with cheating was a skill.
Real gamblers knew how to cheat.
"We win. Let us go."
The ghosts glared like they wanted to tear them apart.
A sudden gust. The classroom door flew open. The girls were ejected outside.
"We're out."
Naoki clung to Sayaka's arm.
Sayaka didn't shake her off.
"Senpai, I was so scared. I thought they'd really kill us. How were you so brave?"
"Same reason I said earlier."
Naoki's antics somehow felt endearing now. Sayaka found her surprisingly cute.
Though she acted scared, Naoki had handled everything like a pro.
*System:* Sayaka Igarashi's favorability increased by 3 points.
They stood and dusted off.
Naoki looked at the classroom sign. "606? Our rooms have four-digit codes and kanji."
Sayaka was still recovering.
Two black cards fell in front of them.
*Congratulations! You've received an invitation to the Devil's Casino. 10 p.m. tonight, come and win what money can't buy: life, health, love. The power of demons awaits.*
Naoki teased, "Senpai, don't tell me you're tempted?"
The promise of miracles no wonder people would bite.
The world was getting stranger.
But gambling was still its core.
"Let's go."
Sayaka ignored the cards and tugged Naoki along.
"Nothing good ever comes from dealing with that."
Naoki wanted to grab a card, but stopped.
"Wait, Senpai. What if someone else picks it up?"
Sayaka sighed and turned back.
But the cards were gone.
Naoki checked her pocket.
Yep. The card had followed her.
"They're bound to us."
She smiled. Secrets brought people closer.
If this casino became a permanent part of their lives, it might tie them together forever.
Better than a marriage license.
*System:* Mission complete. Despite opponent cheating, you countered with ability cards. Reward: 2 experience points.
Sigh. Two in, two out. Net zero.
"Senpai, you're not going to tell the president, are you?"
Sayaka hesitated.
"Of course we should. Something this serious..."
Naoki interrupted. "But they were ghosts. And that casino... if you lose, you die. The president's strong, sure, but do you think she'll never lose?"
"No point dragging others in."
Sayaka knew she was right.
Even the president couldn't risk that.
For her safety, they had to keep this a secret.
Strange. She was hiding something from the president now.
That left only one person she could face the unknown with.
Naoki Utsugi.
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