31. Recruitment Period and Strange Group [4]
The day after the club budget war.
After the morning class, while I was eating lunch with Ria and Rose as usual – an in-house broadcast flowed.
「Year 1 Class A, Allen Rodore-kun, please come to the student council room asap. I repeat. Year 1 Class A-」
That voice undoubtedly belongs to the president, whom I fought yesterday.
Even if she says『asap』……
It’s clear as day, that it wasn’t going to be anything decent.
However, I can’t possibly ignore her after being called through the broadcast.
I dragged my heavy feet to the student council room.
■
And currently,
「Nee, Allen.」
「…What is it, president?」
In the student council room, I was being bombarded with questions by the president, who was grinning creepily..
There were four people in the room – me, the president, the secretary Lilim-senpai, and the accountant Ferris-senpai.
Lilim-senpai was doing maintenance on her sword, and Ferris-senpai was eating sweets and reading fashion magazines.
It seems that neither of them intend to stop the president’s reckless behaviour.
「That thing yesterday, what was it?」
The president, while sitting in a fine chair, asked me who was standing across her desk.
「…What do you mean by『that thing』?」
「Fuun, so you’re gonna feign ignorance…? Well, I’ll change the question. At the beginning, you were clearly going easy on me, right?」
「No, not at all.」
In yesterday’s General match, I fought with all my might from beginning to end.
And then,
「Lie! If so, what was that slash yesterday? What exactly was that strike which snapped my sword in half!?」
She promptly stood up while hitting the desk with her palm, and asked questions in rapid succession.
「No, that’s…」
Honestly, even now I don’t know what that slash was.
(It probably doesn’t have anything to do with that guy…)
It is a little different from the strange feeling of being hijacked.
Above all, there was no feeling of the soul being strung up.
「The great come back play after being cornered – I’m sure it must have felt good! Although, I was humiliated!」
「E-Even if you say that…」
…Although she seems to emit『onee-san』-like vibes, she seems to be a little childish on the inside.
The president then sits down on her chair, with a sullen face.
「…Nee, is it fun to tease a girl?」
「N-No, that’s not my intention…」
「……」
「……」
She fell silent at once.
Don’t glare at me with such scornful eyes…
「…I see. So you have no intention of apologizing.」
Apparently, she was waiting for my apology this time.
Of course I wouldn’t understand, if you don’t say it out loud.
「For being so stubborn, Allen-kun – I will have you accept this next match.」
「A m-match?」
As I asked in return,
「Dekudekudekudekudekudekudeku — Deden!」
The president, who suddenly made a poor drum roll sound with her mouth, took out a set of trump cards.
「…Are we going to have a match with trump cards?」
「Exactly! Do you know『Poker』, Allen-kun?」
「Yes, I know the rules at least…」
「I see, that’s good.」
Saying that, she took twenty coins out of the desk drawer – and handed half of them to me.
「This is…?」
「Fufu, this is『life』」
She began to explain with a suspicious smile.
「From now on, I and Allen-kun will play poker by betting this life. The rules are very simple, so just listen to them smoothly.」
Saying that, she continued the explanation.
「First of all, we’ll bet each other’s life one by one. Then draw 5 cards and get into the first betting time. You can bet additional life, or continue with the same number of life as is. -But if your opponent bets additional life, you must also bet the same number of life.」
There is nothing particularly unusual.
It’s a common flow of poker.
「After that, we exchange cards only once – and we enter the last betting time. If it’s a good hand, you can bet additional life. On the contrary, if it is a bad hand, you can fold.」
「What happens if we fold?」
「You will lose half of the life you bet. Round up the fraction.」
I see…
「If we both don’t fold, we open each other’s hand – the holder of the『stronger hand』wins. The winner takes all the life bet on the match.」
After finishing the rough explanation of the rules,
「Well, to put it simply – play poker normally and if your life goes to zero first, you lose.」
Finally, it was summarized briefly as so.
「Understood.」
There was nothing peculiar about the rules.
It’s just plain poker.
(Yoshi, let’s lose at the right place…)
If I win poorly here, I will get involved in some troublesome matter again.
(In order not to leave a grudge, while winning moderately – I will try to lose at the very end.)
When thinking about that, the president finally said something very bothersome.
「And the loser have to listen to『any one thing』that the winner says!」
「…Are you for real, president?」
「I’m really serious. No matter what kind of order it may be, the loser must definitely abide by it… You understand, right?」
「Haa, understood…」
It’s not like she’s going to back down, even if I were to say『no』.
If that’s the case, it’s better to play a good game and finish early.
(Fortunately, I’m good at playing cards.)
Well, I’ll probably win.
「All right. -Let’s start the first commemorative battle!」
Then I and the president arranged each other’s life in the center of the desk one by one.
「Fufu, my heart is beating excitedly.」
Saying that, she firmly grasped the deck and handed out five cards, one at a time.
(Aaー… this, she’s cheating.)
I understood as soon as the match began.
(Forcefully proposing a match like a child, but cheating under the surface like this…)
Although she’s a second-year student, and sitting in the responsible position of『Student Council President』, she’s a little wicked…
But, how nostalgic.
(Cheating in card games, was bamboo geezer’s forte…)
When I was a child.
I would always pester bamboo geezer saying「How did you do that!? Teach me!」, whenever he cheats during a game.
Remembering those old days, I played the game indifferently.
Fortunately, the president’s cheat seems to be quite petty.
I have plenty of time to prepare.
Then we finished two battles, three battles and – I completed my preparations.
(This should be enough… Next, I’ll just have to wait for the president to make the first move.)
After that, life was taken and given out repeatedly.
It had become a see-saw like game.
And when we approached the seventh battle,
「That face… do you have a good hand, Allen-kun?」
The president finally begun moving.
My hand is two pairs of two and five.
Without exchanging cards yet, it’s a very good hand that can aim for three card and full house.
「As expected of president, you can see through everything.」
「Yeah, it’s obvious looking at your face.」
It’s not my face that she really sees…
The president didn’t suspect that it was purposely leaked by me, and had a triumphant look.
「Continuing this see-saw game is getting tiring, so… how about we bet all our life in this battle?」
While chuckling in my mind as things progressed as I expected, I responded as calmly as possible.
「…That’s scary. Just what kind of strong hand do you have, president?」
「Fufu, probably around the same as Allen?」
「…Understood. I also have confidence in this hand, so I accept your challenge.」
「Alright, then I’ll change one card!」
Saying that, she hurriedly exchanged a card.
It seems that the card at the top of the deck was the last key.
「Fufu, now, go ahead and exchange too, Allen-kun.」
President must already be assured of victory.
She was grinning in a good mood.
「Understood. I’ll exchange my card.」
I discarded my entire hand and,
「…Eh?」
The five cards drawn from the deck were stacked face down in the middle of the desk.
「Y-You changed all five…!?」
「Yes. In matches of grave importance as this, I’ve decided to surrender myself to luck.」
「And you didn’t even check the cards, are you for real!?」
「Yes, I will continue this match with this hand.」
「……」
In the face of an unexpected situation, the president reflexively took a breath.
「… What will you do? Of course, you have the option to fold the cards.」
Yes.
She still had the option to fold her cards.
That way, she’ll lose half her life and can avoid an immediate defeat on the spot.
「Fu, Fuun…! You can’t shake me with that! (Did he trick me…? No, that’s impossible…! I handed out the first card. And I was the one who shuffled it. Allen-kun had zero chance to interfere with the board…! Which means… this is 100% a bluff!)」
「Is that so… that’s unfortunate…」
She relinquished her final chance.
「C-Card Open! My hand is『Four of A Kind』eight! Now, show your hand!」
「Understood.」
Then I turned over the stacked five cards one by one from the top.
Ten of Spades.
Jack of Spades.
Queen of Spades.
King of Spades.
「Im-Impossible…!?」
And the last card – Ace of Spades.
「Sorry, president. 『Royal Straight Flush』- it would seem that this game is my win.」
Four of A Kind vs Royal Straight Flush.
As a result, I gained an overwhelming victory.
Then, the two who must have been listening in,
Lilim-senpai and Ferris-senpai quickly approached me.
「Su-Sugoi…!? It really is a royal straight flush…!?」
「B-But it has a tremendously low probability…!?」
And the president who suffered a complete defeat,
「T-There is definitely something suspicious about this! This is cheating, cheating I say!」
While pointing at me with a trembling hand, she said so.
「Ahaha, I wonder who is the real cheater?」
「W-What are you saying…?」
I pointed at one of the cards facing down and said to her, who was trying to play innocent to the bitter end.
「This is a『gimmick card』 that shows the numbers on the front by the pattern on the back… isn’t it?」
「……!?」
When her cheating was clearly exposed – the colour drained from her face without uttering a word of rebuttal.
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