The match officially began. After Ririka finished shuffling the deck, it was time for both players to cut the cards.
Kirari split the deck cleanly in two, then Naoki followed with another cut.
Because the deck was cut by both players, it was nearly impossible for anyone to rig the top cards in advance.
With her smooth, pale fingers, Ririka slid a card across the table, letting it land neatly in front of Naoki. Then she dealt a card to Kirari as well.
But this time, she didn't slide the card she picked it up with her fingers, angled it ever so slightly so the face was visible to Naoki, paused for just a moment, and then gently placed it in front of Kirari.
With a careful glance, Naoki saw Kirari's first card: the seven of clubs.
Naoki chuckled inwardly. With Ririka helping like this, she didn't even need to use her X-ray card she already knew what Kirari was holding.
Would Kirari come to regret agreeing to let Ririka be the dealer?
Still, Kirari wasn't calling her out. Strange. Even though Ririka's movements were smooth, Kirari's eyes were far too sharp to have missed that subtle cue.
Kirari's second card was the queen of hearts.
As the third card was being dealt, Sayaka Igarashi couldn't hold back any longer. "Vice President! You can't deal cards like that!"
She had noticed the discrepancy in Ririka's dealing two completely different motions. This was blatant cheating.
But without catching the act in progress, accusations were meaningless. That's why sleight of hand is effective: unless someone fails, like dropping a swapped card mid-act, there's no way to prove it.
Sayaka's defense brought a slight softening to Kirari's expression.
Ririka glanced at Naoki with a small apologetic look, as if saying, "I've been caught. I can't help you anymore."
Naoki smiled and nodded. She was already grateful for the help.
But the silent glances between the two only made Kirari's softened gaze tighten once more.
Naoki could feel the pressure around her intensify Kirari wasn't pleased with Ririka's assist.
Use X-ray Card.
In an instant, Kirari's hand was fully revealed before Naoki's eyes.
A pair of queens.
Not an unbeatable hand, but stronger than what Naoki held just a bunch of mismatched singles.
She'd lost the luck draw.
Now it came down to skill.
"Would either party like to raise?"
Each round required a five-chip entry fee. After the initial hand, players could raise once, then again after swapping cards, before the final showdown.
Naoki looked up, just in time to catch Kirari watching her.
Their eyes met. Naoki's heart skipped.
Had Kirari seen through her?
While Kirari didn't possess mind-reading skills, someone at her level of gambling mastery could read a person with terrifying precision.
Let's test the waters.
"Raise, five chips."
Even with a worse hand, Naoki chose to raise.
"Call."
Kirari's voice was calm and elegant, neither hesitant nor aggressive.
"Would either player like to swap cards?"
Naoki went first, naturally choosing to swap. But her luck remained dire. She had X-rayed five cards none would improve her hand unless she kept one of her original cards to pair with a ten. At best, she could form a pair of tens not enough to beat Kirari's queens.
This round was a bust.
But it wasn't over yet.
Should she try palming a card? Naoki happened to have a king useless now, but maybe in the next round it'd come in handy.
Ririka would be the one clearing the table. Even if she noticed a missing card, she wouldn't say anything.
The real risk was Kirari. Her talent might still catch Naoki red-handed.
After a long thought, Naoki activated her special ability card: Future Sight.
She wanted to know if she hid the king, would Kirari notice?
…
The vision surged forward.
Without the Ghost Hand ability, her palming attempt was clumsy. In the vision, Ririka noticed with a side glance but said nothing.
Kirari, however, smiled pretending not to see.
Until
"Naoki, you're cheating!"
Sayaka stepped forward, slammed Naoki's hand down on the table, and exposed the hidden king from her sleeve.
Caught cheating, the match was instantly forfeited.
Vision ends.
…
No Ghost Hand, no cheating.
Not even Sayaka could be fooled.
This woman she'd fought alongside Naoki the night before, and now she was exposing her without hesitation.
Naoki seethed silently.
With cheating off the table, there was only one choice left.
"I swap three cards."
She'd try to bluff.
In this game, swapping three cards often implied you had a pair and were fishing for a third.
No one ever swapped four or more too risky. Even bad hands usually had a high card worth keeping.
Naoki glanced at her new cards and closed her eyes, feigning disinterest.
She already knew the outcome.
Across from her, Kirari raised a brow at the performance.
Card-swapping sounds filled the room. When the dealing was done, Ririka's voice, altered by her voice modulator, rang out:
"Would either party like to raise?"
Naoki didn't hesitate. A pair of tens wouldn't cut it.
"I fold."
Ririka and Sayaka looked surprised. Naoki hadn't even waited for Kirari's response before folding. She had no intention of seeing the round through.
Even with a bad hand, she could've waited for Kirari to raise before backing out.
It was as if she knew she had already lost.
"You're folding just like that? Aren't you going to take a chance?"
Kirari's voice held a hint of regret.
Naoki smiled and tried to throw some pressure back.
"Didn't draw well this round. Your cards are clearly better I'll pass."
"Heh, I don't believe that."
Kirari casually revealed her hand. "Just a bunch of mismatched cards. Not much better than yours, I'd say."
Naoki stared, stunned.
Only a single queen remained in Kirari's hand.
What the hell?
She turned sharply to Ririka. "How many cards did the President swap?"
"Four," Ririka said with a tinge of regret. "Her starting hand was trash. You probably had a good chance if you'd gone through with the showdown."
Naoki bit her lip, clearly frustrated.
Kirari had dismantled her pair of queens on purpose.
She hadn't said a word when swapping just used gestures. Naoki hadn't even looked at the new cards, assuming defeat too quickly.
She had a pair and folded to a worse hand.
No one else knew it, but Naoki had just been outplayed in the worst way.
What kind of person breaks up their own pair on purpose?
Was Kirari toying with her?
How did she know Naoki would fold?
Had Naoki's body language betrayed her too obviously?
Either way, that kind of risky play required nerves of steel. If Naoki hadn't folded, Kirari would've lost.
Too late for regrets.
Having been outmaneuvered in the first round, Naoki gathered her focus for the next.
This time, the dealing order changed. After the shuffle and cut, Ririka dealt to Kirari first.
Naoki noticed that two of her cards had faint lipstick marks.
A signal from Ririka.
They were a pair of kings.
Perfect.
Ririka must've marked them while shuffling, kept them hidden, then palmed them to Naoki when the time was right.
A glance at Kirari's hand confirmed it this time, she only had a pair of sevens.
With Ririka's help, this round was hers to win.
"Raise, five chips."
She had a strong hand no need to go overboard and scare Kirari off. Play it cool.
Just like last time.
Kirari matched the bet without hesitation.
Then came the swap phase.
Kirari thought for a moment before saying, "I'll swap two."
Naoki stiffened.
Kirari's two new cards included a jack pairing with another in her hand. Now she had two pairs.
What the hell kind of luck was that?
She must be cheating too!
Naoki glanced at the deck none of the top cards could form a set.
Breaking up her kings wouldn't help either no card combination would beat Kirari now.
Her one good hand gifted by Ririka was now completely outmatched.
A wave of helplessness swept over her. No amount of skill could beat sheer, ridiculous luck.
Kirari's smirk returned.
"Are you giving up again?"
Naoki clenched her fists. No, she couldn't fold so easily again.
Kirari would lose all respect for her.
There had to be a way.
Some strategy to overcome bad luck.
She looked at the pair of kings in her hand.
There was only one path left cheat.
As the rounds dragged on, Ririka's markings would accumulate. With more marked cards, she'd have more chances to win.
Naoki hesitated a long time, her hand lingering over the cards. Then, at last, she let them fall.
"I fold."
Second round: fold again. Chips left: 80.
But…
As she retrieved the cards, Ririka noticed something.
Lipstick markings red ones on small cards.
Naoki was marking cards too!
If she could feed high cards to Naoki and low ones to Kirari, Naoki's odds would skyrocket.
Ririka met Naoki's gaze.
Naoki smiled.
A tingling thrill passed between them. Partners in crime.
Ririka shuffled and dealt with renewed determination. She'd make sure Naoki won this time.
Round three.
Naoki's starting hand: a pair of jacks.
Kirari's: high-card ace, no pairs.
The third card in the deck? Another jack. If Naoki could draw it, she'd get three-of-a-kind.
Naoki went first this round.
If she got that jack, the next five cards in the deck would be low no chance for Kirari to build a hand.
Victory was certain.
But she couldn't get careless. She'd already lost 20 chips.
If Kirari folded, she'd only win five back.
And who knew when she'd get luck this good again?
What if Kirari saw through their scheme?
She probably already recognized the mark system blue for high cards, red for low. Even the position hinted at rank.
Which meant Kirari could guess Naoki's hand: probably a pair of jacks.
If Kirari folded right away, Naoki would gain almost nothing.
No other choice.
"No raise."
Kirari raised an eyebrow, amused.
"Naoki, this is the first time you haven't raised."
A no-raise usually signaled a weak hand. If Kirari had already seen the marks, she wouldn't be fooled.
"No raise."
Hearing Kirari echo her words, Naoki relaxed slightly.
With no chips lost, Kirari might as well play along. She could always fold later if her hand was bad.
"Would either party like to swap cards?"
Naoki glanced at Kirari.
If it was Kirari she was up against, playing it safe wouldn't cut it.
"I'll swap four."
Ririka froze.
She couldn't believe Naoki just dismantled the pair she'd worked so hard to rig.
And the next jack in the deck? Unmarked.
It took her a long moment to recover and pass four cards to Naoki.
To avoid giving anything away, Naoki didn't look at them just closed her eyes and rested.
Kirari smiled, intrigued.
"This is starting to get interesting."
"I'll also swap four."
"Would either party like to raise?"
"Raise thirty chips."
----------------------------------------------------
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