Hikigaya Challenges Kakegurui

26. Saotome Mary's Predicament

"You seem to have a lot of confidence in Saotome Mary. Let's use her as the wager then."

"If she loses, you'll become my personal livestock. But you're different from the others—I'll take you seriously." Juraku Sachiko said with a sincere look on her face. "I should've devoured you six years ago, but it's not too late now. Sooner or later, in this school, you'll be swallowed up by some other hunter."

Hikigaya crossed his arms and wasn't swayed by Juraku Sachiko's ambiguous posture.

He was not a man who let his lower half do the thinking.

"What if I win?" Hikigaya asked in return.

"I'll support everything you want to do in this academy—money, power, prestige. Whatever you want, I can give it to you. Including myself, even." Juraku Sachiko licked her lips, her hands resting on Hikigaya's shoulders and slowly trailing downward.

"Let's bet our lives, Hikigaya Hachiman."

Hikigaya paid no attention to the hands toying with his body. "Everything you just mentioned—aside from yourself—I can earn with my own hands. I feel gratitude toward you, not desire... This wager holds no appeal to me."

"Then let's change the stakes," Juraku Sachiko said without annoyance, withdrawing her hands from Hikigaya's chest and offering a new condition.

"If you win, I'll give you a piece of information."

"Deal." This time, Hikigaya Hachiman agreed to the bet without a second of hesitation.

The wager's stakes seemed unequal. But Hikigaya Hachiman knew in his heart that Juraku Sachiko was not the kind of woman who joked around. Which meant that this piece of information, in her eyes, was equivalent in value to his entire life.

What could it be?

My life... Hikigaya Hachiman's life...

"You really are bold. You didn't even ask what kind of information it is, and you're already putting your life on the line."

Seeing that she had sparked Hikigaya's interest, Juraku Sachiko reached out a slender finger and lightly touched his lips.

"But I want to add another condition. Saotome Mary will lose this round. We'll base the outcome on the second game."

"The second game? She doesn't have any more funds to take part in another match."

"She'll wager her life."

Hikigaya explained calmly, "You want her to become your dog—she'll do it."

"And also, I hate gambling. So if I don't have absolute certainty of winning, I won't accept anyone's wager."

.

.

.

The ambiguous actions between the two did not escape the eyes of Sado Mikura, who was acting as the dealer. In her eyes, a dark flame was burning.

It was the fire of jealousy.

Saotome Mary was the dog of that guy named Hikigaya Hachiman, wasn't she? She had to prove that even as a master, Juraku-sama was invincible. As long as she made Saotome Mary lose, Hikigaya Hachiman, her master, would lose face in front of Juraku-sama. And if that happened, Juraku-sama's attention would return to her!

Juraku-sama could only have one dog—and that dog had to be her. For that, she would eliminate any potential rival at all costs. If she could make Saotome show disgrace in front of Juraku-sama, then Juraku-sama's heart would have room for no one else but her!

'Just watch, Juraku-sama! I will prove that I am your most excellent pet!'

While Sado was lost in her fantasy, Saotome took a sip of water from her thermos, trying to suppress the uneasiness inside her. After a long pause, she finally finished writing her prediction and handed over the card. That scene happened to fall within Hikigaya Hachiman's line of sight.

Reluctantly, Sado Mikura withdrew her gaze and turned to look at the cards in her hand.

Saotome's prediction was: [UUD].

And Togakushi's was… [UDD].

'Hah, what an idiot—she actually wrote a sequence that gets completely countered by Saotome.'

'If I don't intervene, Saotome Mary might actually win.'

'But that doesn't matter, because I will intervene.'

A slight smirk crept onto Sado Mikura's lips. At the exact moment she placed the cards back, she secretly slipped a new card labeled [DUU] from her sleeve, replacing Togakushi Yukimi's original [UDD] card.

'Hehe… perfect. No one noticed.'

Immediately afterward, Sado Mikura began to roll the dice. The sound of dice hitting the table rang out crisply. The three people at the table stared intensely at the dice, barely daring to breathe.

The spinning dice bound the fates of all three together.

D, D, D, U...

The first four dice rolls came out in sequence. Saotome Mary stared intently at Togakushi Yukimi's face, and saw unmistakable worry and anxiety in her expression. That meant her prediction wasn't [DUU], and also not [DUD]. If that was true, then her chances of winning were very high!

Saotome Mary was thrilled—victory was beckoning her.

'Foolish girl, about to die and still unaware.'

Sado Mikura was secretly watching Saotome Mary and noticed the joy on her face... what a stupid little stray cat.

'Now, I'll finish you off!'

"The fifth roll—" She forcefully threw the die onto the table. One second, two seconds—the spinning gradually slowed... until it stopped completely.

"U!"

Sado Mikura flipped open the prediction cards:

"DUU prediction appeared—winner: Togakushi Yukimi!"

"As agreed, the usage rights for the Second Library are awarded to Togakushi-san. As for you, Saotome Mary—your life has been stripped away. From now on, you will be forced to follow the terms written in your Life Plan Document…"

Th-this—how—can—this—be!

Saotome Mary was in utter shock. She always considered her gambling skills above average. The panic in Togakushi Yukimi's expression absolutely couldn't have been faked. Her prediction definitely couldn't have been [DUU]...

Where had it gone wrong? No—this wasn't the time to be thinking about that.

What to do? What could she do? Was there truly no way out?

It felt like she had already fallen into a dead end.

But still, Saotome hadn't given up hope. Instinctively, she looked up to see the expression of Togakushi Yukimi sitting across from her.

There's no mistake—even though she won, that fear in her eyes couldn't possibly be fake.

Then there's only one explanation...

She turned her gaze to Sado Mikura, clenching her teeth hard. If only she had noticed from the beginning, she might've been able to at least make this game fair. But now she had lost. What else could she even do?

Saotome was lost, confused. She looked to Hikigaya Hachiman for help.

But what she saw was someone who showed no sadness over her defeat, no emotion whatsoever... He just stood there, not mourning her loss for even a moment, like an emotionless machine.

Why didn't he tell me…? We clearly agreed beforehand that he'd help me…

Saotome felt nothing but grievance. She had mentally prepared herself for this. But when the moment of failure truly came, she realized she didn't have the courage to face a future where her life had been taken away.

Yet humans only discover the will to live when they're cornered in despair.

Without thinking, Saotome let out a gasp and shouted:

"I want to bet one more round!"

"Huh? Are you joking? You want to go against the agreed terms?"

Without giving anyone time to object, Saotome Mary picked up the collar that had been sitting on the table from the start—unsure for whom it had been prepared—and fastened it around her own neck. She swung her right arm through the air and pointed a finger straight at Juraku Sachiko.

"If I lose, I'll become Juraku Sachiko's dog!"

"What? But I was the one who won."

"You—"

Togakushi Yukimi and Sado Mikura spoke in unison—they did not want anything to interfere now.

"Let her."

Juraku Sachiko said with a smile as she held onto Hikigaya Hachiman's arm.