AN: I LOVE this series. Unfortunately, I'm not half as brilliant as the writers who wove such a fantastic plot and therefore own nothing - Thanks go to GrimGrave as always for his beta work!

Gambler's Lucky Gambit—

The remaining students of the Hope's Peak Academy's Class 78th were meeting for breakfast like they usually did, only to discover a new surprise.

"... What is this?"

The sentiment was echoed by the other students. The cafeteria table furthest from the door was piled high with crates of opaque brown bottles. They couldn't see the labels clearly as they approached, slowly and cautiously, but there was a single gold star in the centre underneath which something was written.

The swimmer, Aoi Asahina, was the first to come close enough to pick up one of the bottles.

"Sapporo," she read. "Beer?"

None of them were old enough to drink with the exception of Yasuhiro Hagakure, the clairvoyant. He rubbed his hands together, his face lighting up. "Aw, man, this must be fate. I could use a drink."

"This is clearly a trap." The affluent prodigy, Byakuya Togami, adjusted his glasses with the snide air of someone who thought themselves better than others. "They're likely poisoned and I won't be taking any part of it."

But that didn't quite track and a murmur went through the gathering. None of their other food and drink was poisoned, so why start now?

Hapupupu...

Monokuma's sinister laughter came from all around them. No matter how they tried to mentally prepare themselves, his sudden appearance caught them off guard as it always did. The half white, half black bear... thing twirled like a ballerina atop the piled crates. "I'm offended that you would think I'd use such underhanded tactics, Four Eyes."

He was quick to rise to the bait. "What did you just call me?"

The small, pudgy bear made a dismissive sound as he leapt down from his perch and addressed the others: "I thought you kids would like to celebrate getting this far. Aren't I a swell guy?"

There had been fifteen student/hostages to start, but now all that remained was ten. It didn't feel like there was much to celebrate in the wake of the most recent Class Trial. Chihiro Fujisaki, a brilliant young man who they'd only recently learned was male, had chosen to open up about his secret to the wrong person, and had been slain as a result. His killer, Mondo Owada, while hot-headed and aggressive, had still been one of their own. No one missed him quite so much as Kiyotaka Ishimaru, who had formed a powerful bond of manhood with him mere days before his passing.

He was the only one who hadn't shown up to breakfast that morning, and when the others had seen him last, he had been catatonic at best.

"Anyway~ Today is a free day for all. We'll get back to our regularly scheduled school life tomorrow."

With that, Monokuma disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared. They still didn't understand how he managed to do so, and his ability to materialize anywhere at any time kept everyone on edge. There was no such thing as privacy when that trickster tyrant had 24/7 access to their lives.

The students, with the exception of Byakuya and Toko, glanced from the beverages to each other.

"We could always plan a party later tonight?" Makoto Naegi suggested. He was supposed to have the ultimate luck, according to his title, but seeing as he was currently here...

"What harm could there be?" the gambler, Celestia Ludenberg asked. "There are so few reasons to celebrate and I, for one, would welcome a party."

"I agree," the mangaka, Hifumi Yamada, said. He would, of course, agree with anything the woman he considered to be what was essentially a real-life anime character said, so his opinion wasn't exactly taken seriously.

Toko Fukawa, a talented romance writer despite her glum and sometimes neurotic conduct, pressed the tips of her index fingers together. She was barely audible as she muttered, "I-I would like to see Master Byakuya d-drunk..."

The comment earned her a sharp look from the boy in question and she flinched as though struck.

"I'm against it," Sakura Ogami, a fearsome warrior aptly known as "The Ogre," chimed. "Alcohol lowers inhibitions and affects thought processes. We need to remain sharp and level-headed if we are to survive these trials." When Aoi shot her a look, she relented, "... But I suppose just one would not hurt."

As tough and imposing as she was, Sakura was putty in that girl's hands.

All eyes went to Kyoko Kirigiri. Though it hadn't been a conscious decision, the group deferred to the stoic and enigmatic young woman. She was frowning pensively, her fist curled beneath her jaw.

Finally, she said, "Do what you want."

A cheer went up and the party planning began.

The beers were hauled off and loaded into the cooler. Sakura was a surprisingly adept chef and, with a helping hand from Aoi and Yasuhiro, she produced a sumptuous spread for their celebration dinner. Hifumi created the decorations. He had sketched portraits of their fallen classmates to honour their memory and created streamers from pages from the books in the library. Byakuya, despite his initial contempt, oversaw everything but didn't lift a hand to help.


That night, all ten students reconvened in the cafeteria. They were in high spirits despite themselves, eager to have a happy moment to erase the trauma they'd faced since coming here. Even Byakuya had something nice to say about dinner, which was probably one of the biggest surprises of the night.

Toko procured a deck of playing cards. Solitaire was her game of choice, but naturally, Celestia insisted on a game of chance instead. No one would take her "friendly wagers," much to her disdain, but they agreed to play Gin and small talk became heated arguments and jeering.

Then, Yasuhiro disappeared into the kitchen and came back with a case of beer. He didn't ask before plunking a bottle down in front of each partygoer. Celestia wagged her finger and commanded Hifumi to fetch her another from the kitchen, which he eagerly scampered off to do. Yasuhiro shrugged and moved on to the next person. Once he had made his round, he returned to his seat, cracked open his own beverage, and took a swig.

"Ahhh," Yasuhiro sighed happily.

Byakuya turned his nose up and Toko trailed behind him as he departed for his room. Yasuhiro shrugged and slid the bottles meant for them closer to himself.

Aoi, after stealing a curious glance at him, was the next to try. She smacked her lips, shrugged, and took another sip. Sakura took a long draught and then sat the bottle down, crossed her arms over her chest, and didn't touch it for the rest of the evening. Makoto took a sip and spluttered and Yasuhiro smacked his back until, red in the face, the young man settled down. Hifumi proved to be a lightweight, flushing red after drinking only half the bottle. He and Kiyotaka, who had already announced his intention to drown his sorrows, grew boisterous.

Celestia, after her first victory, sipped delicately from the bottle before her. She made a face. "It's an acquired taste, to say the least."

Kyoko took a swig without comment. She had almost won the second round and a look of concentration was on her face as she shuffled the cards in her hands.

An hour passed. The card game evolved into strip poker—at whose suggestion, no one was certain—and Celestia was fully dressed while the remaining players were in various states of undress. Hifumi and Kiyotaka had passed out on the table; the latter snored thunderously and couldn't be made to stop no matter how hard they tried to rouse him.

Aoi was a couple of beers past tipsy. She had only lost her top before Sakura suggested that she sit out the rest of the game. As an onlooker, Aoi pawed at Sakura, who looked supremely uncomfortable as she gently rebuffed those advances.

Another hour passed. Perhaps it was habit now because of the rules that had been forced upon them, but the teens began feeling antsy as night fell. By this point, Yasuhiro had nothing left but his boxers, but he was even more free-spirited in his inebriated state and didn't seem at all uncomfortable. Makoto was faring only slightly better and he was a ruddy shade as he crossed his arms over his bare chest and tried not to shiver. Kyoko had lost her jacket and a single boot and she was hyper-focused on their game as a result. She was still cool and collected, but the pink tinge to her cheeks stood out in stark relief against pale skin.

Celestia announced that she was bored of "child's play" and sat the next round out, nursing her beer with delicate sips. In her absence, Kyoko was able to best both boys and the game came to an abrupt end when Yasuhiro stripped down to his birthday suit. It turned out his pubic hair was just as thick and curly as his head hair—something the gathered students could have happily gone on without ever knowing.

It didn't help that being in the spotlight and the subsequent clamour excited the young man. Aoi released a screech and there was a brief scuffle as Makoto "encouraged" him to get dressed. At that point, they agreed it was a good time to wrap up the festivities. Besides, the alcohol had been finished.

Sakura swept Aoi into a princess hold and bid the others goodnight before lumbering off in the direction of the dorms. She kicked Hifumi awake before she went and he finally stirred, moaning about the damage she'd done with her violence. He and a still-groggy Kiyotaka leaned heavily on each other as they headed off to bed.

Kyoko was a touch unsteady as she stood from the table and Celestia offered to accompany her to her dorm. She accepted, albeit after some hesitation, and the pair were the last to filter out of the cafeteria. They walked past Aoi's bedroom and saw that the door was cracked. Voices came from within, the owners of which were easy identified as Aoi and Sakura. Curiosity got the best of them and the duo moved closer, holding their breath as they peeked inside.

"You're drunk," Sakura was saying.

It was almost comical to see her much larger frame trapped between Aoi and the wall.

"Am not," Aoi retorted, slurring only slightly.

Both Kyoko and Celestia's eyes went round as Aoi grabbed Sakura's breast with the familiarity of someone who had done so many times before. The taller girl flinched, a soft sound leaving her as Aoi kissed her neck.

"Asahina..." Who knew such a feeble tone could come out of such an imposing woman.

"Nuh-uh," Aoi chided, leaning up on tiptoe to kiss Sakura on the mouth while her hands continued to roam. "I told you to stop calling me that in private."

"Aoi," Sakura growled. "If you keep riling me up then I am not responsible for what happens."

She giggled. "Ooh, scary~"

The swimmer squeaked as she found herself lifted into Sakura's arms for the second time that night. This time, however, she was kissed deeply and an eager moan left her. Kyoko grabbed Celestia's hand and removed her bodily from the doorway just as Aoi was being thrown onto the bed.

"Oh my God," Celestia exclaimed, once they had hustled far enough away from what they had witnessed. They were both slightly out of breath. "I mean, I had always suspected, but I never thought..."

Kyoko glanced around and realized that, in her haste, she had taken them in the opposite direction of where they had been heading. She rubbed her temples, not quite hearing whatever Celestia was saying as her world spun. To top it all off, Kyoko was feeling a little... bothered by what she had seen. She really needed to go back to her room where a hot shower and her bed awaited her.

"Are you alright?" Celestia asked.

"Never better," Kyoko grunted. She wasn't sure when she had leaned against the wall and she straightened hastily.

"Come, now. Let's get you to your room."

...

"It seems you overdid it just a bit."

"Perhaps."

She could see the way Celestia's lips quirked upwards at the corners and she frowned. "You seem perfectly fine."

"Do I~?"

Right as rain, actually. An inkling of doubt made the fine hair at the nape of Kyoko's neck stand on end. Why was that? Now that she thought about it, Celestia had been as composed as she always was during their get-together. Kyoko stole a glance at the other girl, her suspicion peaking. And since when was she helpful?

They reached Kyoko's door without incident and the detective began patting the pockets of the jacket she had slung over her shoulder.

"... I think I can take it from here. Thanks."

After locating her keys, Kyoko turned her back on Celestia to unlock the door. It was a clear dismissal—and so she was caught off-guard when the gambler used her hip to nudge her into the dark room. Kyoko stumbled, dropped her jacket in the process of trying to catch herself, and ended up on the floor.

"Oopsie," Celestia said. The door clicked shut behind her, plunging them into darkness until she located the light switch.

Kyoko struggled into a seated position and shielded her eyes against the fluorescence as she scowled up at her classmate. "What do you think you're doing?"

Celestia smiled broadly. The expression didn't quite reach her eyes, which glinted wickedly as she half-carried Kyoko over to her bed. Had she always been that strong? The detective didn't even have a mind to struggle. Yet.

"I'm the one who found them first, you know," she said conversationally, patting one of Kyoko's gloved hands. "The beer. I poured out the ones I knew I'd be drinking, replaced the contents with water, and set them aside with strict instructions that Hifumi only give me those."

Kyoko's head was spinning—for two reasons now. She'd been played. But to what end? "Why..?"

Celestia's expression became serious. She gestured and, against her better judgement, Kyoko leaned towards her.

"Because I find that people are far more honest with just a touch of liquid confidence." Celestia's lips brushed against the shell of Kyoko's ear as she murmured, "Did seeing those two in action excite you?"

"Tch."

Kyoko flinched when Celestia rested a hand on her cheek. The appendage was strangely cool... Or perhaps she was just that hot?

And, while Kyoko was idly pondering that, Celestia took advantage of her lapse in focus and kissed her.

Kyoko should have pulled away, slapped Celestia, and demanded that she leave—but she didn't.

Kyoko shouldn't have leaned into the kiss, her heart hammering against her ribcage, shivered when Celestia's fingertips ghosted along the curve of her jaw, and felt curiously cold when the other girl pulled away—but she did.

Blood-red eyes observed Kyoko with a keenness that made her squirm. Celestia didn't say a word, though the smile that curved her lips spoke volumes of her self-satisfaction.

"Well?" Kyoko huffed, feeling out of control of the exchange and hating every moment of it.

"You never answered my question," Celestia said innocently.

It was difficult to wade through her hormones to the memory of their earlier conversation. What was she talking ab—Oh. Kyoko flushed.

"I... will admit to being curious." Because she had an inquisitive mind. There was nothing wrong with that.

"Good enough." Celestia chuckled. "I suppose I could help you sate that curiosity."


Kyoko bit her lip to muffle a pleasurable sound and the girl nestled between her splayed thighs gave the curve of her breast a punishing nip. She squirmed as a talented tongue resumed making lazy circles around her areola, her breath catching in her throat when full lips closed around the rosy peak and applied suction. A whimper of disappointment left her when Celestia pulled away and gave her a sharp look.

"Let me hear you."

Slender fingers prodded at Kyoko's entrance as Celestia began kissing her way down her nubile frame. She had been alternating between teasing Kyoko's slit and the sensitive bundle of nerves above it. The slowly building pleasure that resulted wasn't enough to bring her over the edge and Kyoko whimpered. She could feel how excited she was in the way nimble fingers danced slickly across her sex and she spread her legs wide.

How the gambler was still fully dressed and Kyoko was completely nude—save her gloves—and utterly at her mercy, she wasn't certain. What she did know was the shallow thrusting was driving her insane. Kyoko pumped her hips, trying to encourage Celestia to go deeper. Judging by the dark-haired beauty's smug expression, she knew exactly what sort of effect her teasing had on her partner.

Kyoko groaned, her sex aching insistently. Beneath her proper façade, Celestia was a minx.

"Count yourself fortunate. I wouldn't do this for just anybody."

Why me? The question died in Kyoko's throat as, finally, two fingers thrust into her sex, up to the second knuckle. Kyoko cried out, arching, and Celestia took advantage of the angle the motion presented, nuzzling into lavender curls and locating her clitoris. She flicked her tongue quickly, without rhyme or reason, until she figured out what got her partner off most effectively. Kyoko was a fan of suction, her throaty cries escalating as Celestia sucked and licked her clitoris in turn.

Celestia curved her fingers, massaging firmly against Kyoko's inner walls as they tightened around them. She maintained a steady pace—not too fast and not too slow—and Kyoko moved her hips to meet each thrust. Her movements became erratic as pleasure threatened to overwhelm her, a lewd dance choreographed by tongue and fingers.

"Celestia."

Desperation shone in purple orbs. Heeding that call, Celestia leaned up and they kissed again, this one messy and uncoordinated. She swallowed Kyoko's moans as orgasm made the detective's toes curl and her body go taut.

...

"You know..." Celestia was still dressed, still the one in control. She traced her fingertips along the length of Kyoko's spine, smirking when she felt the other girl shiver. "It would be easier for you to hold onto me if you weren't wearing those."

Luxurious black tresses had actually gotten wound around the strap of Kyoko's ever-present leather gloves and it had taken them a few awkward minutes to detangle them.

Kyoko's expression immediately became guarded. "..."

Best not to push her, Celestia decided. "Ah, well," she said lightly. "Maybe next time."

Next time? Now, why had she gone and said that? She had enjoyed herself, certainly, but she hadn't intended for this to be more than a one-time thing. Kyoko's surprised expression made her feel surprisingly sheepish.

Celestia sat up and threw her legs over the side of the bed. "I really should be going. It's getting late."

Kyoko stirred. "Wait."

Celestia cocked a perfectly sculpted eyebrow as the other girl revealed a rare moment of hesitation. "What is it?" she prompted when the other girl seemed content to stare down at the bedspread.

"Will you... stay the night?"

The question caught her totally off-guard and Celestia frowned. Just what was her angle? And why did she look so damn cute while she waited for Celestia's response?

"Very well," Celestia acquiesced at last, hiding a smile when Kyoko released an almost inaudible breath. "I suppose I should fetch a nightgown from my room."

"No need."

And, just like that, Celestia found herself on her back with Kyoko looming over her. The view the position afforded was quite lovely and the gambler bit her lip. She had developed quite an affinity for the brilliant young detective's breasts. Kyoko hitched up the hem of Celestia's dress and lavished kisses on pale thighs. The closer she got to their apex, the stronger the musk of Celestia's arousal became—until Kyoko was nuzzling the front of prim white bloomers.

There was a damp spot on the front—a testament to how aroused Celestia was—and Kyoko's mouth watered. She hooked her fingers beneath the waistband and Celestia was quick to lift her hips so that Kyoko could do away with the article. With that last barrier removed, Kyoko lost no time pressing a kiss to Celestia's lower lips.

"Mm...!"

By the time the morning announcements chimed, signifying the start of a new day, the lovers were tangled up in the sheets and each other—naked and oh-so satisfied.

-End-