"You are no mind reader" Sakura's tone was laced with a hard finality, very much enjoying the subtle hard clench of Juraku's jaw and the dimming of her usual confident glimmer in those reptilian eyes of hers.
Gasps echoed through the room, and Sakura took the opportunity to find Aoi in the crowd, who looked like he was very much enjoying the show. The way he had looked at her after she had so brazenly announced her sexuality, though...
She pushed the thought aside, levelling her gaze towards Habakiri, who seemed to have stars in her eyes. The girl seemed virtually ready to worship the ground Sakura walked on, despite being barely acquainted with her. It was cute, but a little tiresome.
"Habakiri-san. I believe it is time for the second round," she gently promoted the other girl, who swallowed thickly.
"R-right, that was, um, very impressive though, Miharutaki-san, I-" she stammered, tiny hands fidgeting below the table. Something Sakura usually would've usually found endearing, but now, with an oncoming headache, simply found annoying.
The only thing occupying her mind was how to win against Juraku. She'd fooled her in the first round: but Sakura knew better than to get confident. Juraku had barely faltered after Sakura's "big reveal", after all. What if this was her ploy in stringing Sakura along? Everybody knew that Sachi- Juraku loved playing with her food.
"Thank you, Habakiri-san," she replied, curbing her voice just ever so slightly. "I appreciate it. But for now, the game, please." Polite, with an edge. Still a little wide-eyed, Habakiri seemed to have gotten the hint.
"Right. Of course," she continued, pitching her voice to the room. "Round two- the decider round, since the first ended in a draw."
"Wait, hold on," Juraku's velvety voice sent small shivers down Sakura's spine- not that she would admit it, of course. It was difficult concentrating on the game when the other girl sat opposite her and gave her that look in which Sakura was positive the other girl was mentally undressing her.
It unnerved her, to say the least, but it wasn't like she could say anything, after all, a look was hardly inappropriate, right? But coupled with the deliberately provocative outfit Juraku was wearing...
Sakura swallowed down the oncoming blush as she forced herself to look directly above the other girl's head. No point in maintaining the facade now, since unless Juraku was an idiot she wouldn't be relying on tells this round.
Or maybe that's what she'd expect you to do-
"What's the problem, Juraku-san?" It sounded like Habakiri was forcing herself to add the honourific to the second-years' name, like it physically pained her to pronounce her name. Sakura could sympathise, but for different reasons.
"Shouldn't we take a little break? Like, I don't know about you guys, but I'm feeling a little worked up after last round," she send a rather indiscreet wink at Sakura, who in turn raised both her eyebrows.
...Just what is she playing at?
"No. For all I know, you could be biding time for a cheating scheme of yours. I know what you're like, Juraku." Sakura deliberately kept her voice flat, trying to outstare Juraku without getting lost in her murky reds.
That earned her a textured chuckle from the other girl, who put a hand to her chest in a mock-offended manner. "My, my, so formal and distrustful, Sakura,"
"Because we're hardly friends. I don't see any reason to take a break." Habakiri nodded in tandem, her narrowed dark eyes a clear indicator that she was still wary of the platinum-blonde.
"Alright, fine." Sachiko shrugged, an oddly sensual movement that Sakura couldn't help but be drawn to. "Whatever you say."
And again, Sakura was hit with chills. Was she lowering her voice like that on purpose?
Juraku threw down her die, the clattering sound jolting Sakura out of her thoughts. She pinched her thigh, chiding herself for losing concentration. Now was no time to spiral. She carefully watched Juraku, who took less than a split-second to observe her results, smirk hardly faltering.
Does she know something I don't?
Sakura threw down her die, hardly daring to peek at the result. It was a foolish move to reveal her cards so early on, but her pride had gotten the better of her. She had wanted to prove to Juraku that she was capable of being more than just a pawn in her plans. But here she was, right back at square one, and Juraku was probably using her for her own means.
Again.
Oddly enough, the thought of it emboldened her, as braved herself to look at her results. A three.
Sakura dared to not let the tension leave her shoulders though, forcing a certain rigidity into her spine. Juraku seemed effortlessly regal in the way she carried herself though, and-
Sakura's thought-spiral was cut short when a smooth, albeit slightly textured (courtesy of the tights) leg came into contact with hers. She let out a barely audible gasp at the contact, though the slight dilation in Juraku's pupils suggested that she had heard it. It seemed casual, almost, the way the other girl simply leaned back. But that leer on her face made it clear to Sakura- and only Sakura- that it was perfectly deliberate.
Trying not to focus too much on the sensation of Juraku against her, she turned to Habakiri with as much dignity as she could muster. She didn't even need the dealer to ask the question. "Carry on." There was a slight falter to her voice, but if Habakiri detected it, it didn't show.
"What the hottie said," Juraku said easily, earning her quite a few shocked gasps from the crowd of onlookers.
"No way."
"Yes way! I so told you they were fucking!"
"Look at how unfazed Miharutaki is!"
"I sooo called it!"
Sakura clenched her fists, grinding her teeth. Did this girl even care about the effect her words had on her? Or worse, was she aware and that was the reason she continued her disgusting behaviour?
"Spare me, please," she said dryly, purposefully moving her leg away from Juraku, who only closed in further. Sparks of nervousness and arousal simultaneously shot up her body.
To distract herself, she rolled her die. A two. In any other situation that would've constituted a sigh of relief, but not then, when Juraku was unabashedly eyeing her up like... like she was a piece of meat.
Slowly, deliberately, the other girl licked her lips. "Did I tell you that that little rant of yours," she leaned in, just ever so slightly, "was such a turn on?"
Breath, Sakura, breathe. A decidedly hot girl is flirting with you- so what? You have to win this game. Out of the corner of her eye she caught Aoi smirking- smirking- at her little predicament. She wondered what his reaction would be if she just pulled Juraku in and kissed her. She wondered what Juraku's reaction would be if she did so.
But honour and dignity kept her bound, as she forced the oncoming flush off her face.
"No, you didn't, and I really could have done without knowing," Sakura snapped, hoping to convey her irritation and push back her arousal.
"Now stop wasting our collective time and roll your fucking die." Sakura growled, pitching her voice a tone lower, right at Sachiko's timbre. To an onlooker, it would've seemed like a simple command. To Sachiko, though...
The other girl looked a little taken aback, if only for a brief moment, before in one elegant motion flicking the die. Her eyes flitted downwards, taking in the results with a smile before looking back up at Sakura. "It's so hot when you get all bossy, Miharutaki-sama," she chuckled, but Sakura did not allow herself to get embarrassed. Not one bit.
"You know that this sort of behaviour is an automatic turn off for most girls, right?" She managed, before turning her head to Habakiri. "Carry on."
"Carry on." Juraku repeated, before facing Sakura yet again, red eyes holding that telltale flirtatious sparkle, but behind it, the ever-so-slight glimmer of triumph.
"Hm. Don't you get tired of living in denial, beautiful?" The platinum-blonde probed, rolling her die.
"Denial of what, exactly?" Out of the corner of her eye, Sakura spotted Habakiri chewing her nails nervously, her eyes flitting between the two gamblers.
"Denial of your attraction towards me," Sakura's heart-rate spiked. There's no way she could've known... right? No. This is just another gamble, another ploy. She steadied her breathing.
"Attraction to you? Don't be pathetic, Juraku." She forced out, injecting as much steel as she could into her voice.
"Boo!" Somebody from the crowd yelled, causing Sakura to flinch slightly. Out of the corner of her eyes she spotted Aoi rolling his eyes.
"Second of all," the younger girl ploughed on, "your denial of your loss."
Gasps reverberated across the room at the bold claim.
"What makes you say that?" Sakura was not ready to relinquish her ground. Juraku was a master-class bluffer after all.
"Well," a thin, sharp smile made its way onto her face. "You see, my die is weighted."
"Really." Sakura did her best to sound unimpressed, but slight panic began to stir within her.
"Yes, really. You must have noticed, as I did, that out of the two die Habakiri over here gave us, one was male and one was female," Juraku sounded bored, almost. "What you didn't notice though, most likely, was that it was her way of sending you a message."
Alarm bells began to ring in Sakura's mind.
"See here, the male die is less likely to roll a six, in comparison to your unweighted die, which has an equal chance of rolling all numbers."
"Bullshit." Her tone was deathly calm, but Sakura was sure that her inner turmoil was blatantly obvious to somebody like Sachiko.
"But is it really?" A perfect eyebrow quirked up. "How many turns did it take before I rolled a six, Sakura? Have a think about it. Because from the way this is going... I know I'll win."
"Carry on." Juraku said to Habakiri, who had begun trembling.
"Miharutaki-san, this isn't true! I swear, I-" the younger girl quaked. "This is blasphemy!"
"But of course a biased dealer would say that, wouldn't she?" Smooth as ever, logical as she rarely was, Juraku's conclusions were unflappable. Sakura felt herself gulp. Logic on Juraku was a rare look, and it vaguely terrified her.
"So, what's your verdict?" Four words that chilled Sakura to the bone.
What was Juraku's play here? She was smart, so if her die really was weighted, there was no real reason to give up her advantage, unless she wanted Sakura to stew, which was exactly what she was doing.
That, or Juraku was running on hubris, like Sakura had been in the first round.
Although that part was unlikely, since there was no good reason for her to give up her advantage. Which meant that she had to be lying. One quick look at Habakiri all but confirmed that. There was no way that somebody like her would bet on fifty-fifty odds on Sakura, even if she was her idol. It was a stupid ploy.
So... if Juraku was lying, did that mean she was trying to intimidate Sakura? Or... something else? Perhaps it was her way of steering her in the opposite direction, intimidating her because she rolled a six?
...No. That was ridiculous. If Juraku had already rolled a six, she would've continued with her act, and Sakura wouldn't have dared to call her out. Which meant that this had to be the other girl's roundabout way of getting Sakura to stop.
"Carry on" she said coldly. "I believe you, Habakiri-san. You lie, Juraku."
For the first time since the beginning of the game, the shark-like smirk on Juraku's face faltered. To cover it up, she let out a low whistle.
"Wow- beauty and brains. Colour me impressed." She threw down her die with a clatter, and Sakura drew her gaze towards Habakiri, whose face remained neutral. No giveaways there.
"I have no need for your transparent flattery." Sakura replied, throwing down her own die.
"Hot." Juraku purred. "I've always like it when girls play hard to get." As if to prove a point, she rubbed her thigh against Sakura's, eliciting a gasp from the other girl.
"I-you-" she attempted to remove her leg from Juraku's, before shaking her head, attempting to reign in her focus, and away from Juraku and how good she looked in this lighting.
In one swift movement she kicked her opponents' leg from under the table- a decidedly unladylike movement, and deciding not to gauge Juraku's reaction took in her results. A four. She was safe.
"Carry on," Sakura said.
"Carry on." Juraku repeated, before running her teeth over her lower lip.
"Whatever you are trying to do, Juraku." She forced out through gritted teeth. "I guarantee you it will not work."
"And I guarantee you it will. You know how much I love your dominant side, right?"
Sakura blinked. "My what-now?"
Juraku waved a hand, vaguely. "You know. When you get in the zone. When you kinda just command a room, yeah? Not even that middle-grade fiancé of yours can do that."
"What? OMG this is getting serious!" Somebody from the crowd squealed.
"That's right. Everybody knows Sakura's fiancé, yeah?" Juraku turned to face the crowd.
"Well, Sakura over here confided in me that he..." she lowered her voice, as if telling a rather dirty secret, "is really bad at sex."
"I did not! I never confide in you, let alone about my sex life!" Sakura thundered, slamming down her hands on the table.
But the crowd was now abuzz with gossip.
"Do you think it's true?"
"Totally! I mean, who here thinks Miboumi is cheating on Miharutaki?"
"Everybody, bro. Man's so popular he's got his own fan club."
"Ha! Well Miharutaki does have Juraku, so..."
"Hey Juraku! How long have you two been screwing?" One boy yelled.
"Two months, all hate-fuelled." The red-eyes girl instantly replied. "Whoever won that million: congratulations."
Sakura gaped, unable to say anything, before getting her thoughts in order. "That's all bullshit! Juraku and I would never. I would never! These accusations are ridiculous!" She exclaimed angrily.
"Right, sure." Juraku sent a conspiratorial wink towards the crowd, before rolling her die. "Admit it, Sakura, you think I'm mouth-wateringly sexy in this outfit of mine, don't you?"
"I do not!" Her reply was instantaneous, but the hot flush dancing on her cheeks told another story.
"Sure... just like you're so straight, aren't you?"
Well, that was it. Sakura saw red. "I never said I was fucking straight, did I?" She snarled, throwing down her die. A six, but she couldn't even find it in herself to care.
"I'm going to fucking strangle that "oh-so-sexy" neck of yours, and I'm not even fucking kidding this time." Sakura growled, as Habakiri leaned in to inspect the die.
"Oh, you know I'd love that, don't you?"
Sakura pinched her brow. "Can you, like, not be a shitbag for one minute?"
"What on earth are you talking about? It's just some innocent flirting!"
"I'm engaged!" She barked. "And we both know you have no real interest in me, so you can knock it the fuck off!"
Juraku looked like she was about to reply, but Habakiri cut in. "Um," she looked a little sheepish.
"What?" Sakura and Juraku said in unison.
"Th-the second round," she looked ridiculously nervous, "is over. The score stands at a tie."
Both girls eyed each other with incredulity. Before Juraku could open her mouth, though, Habakiri continued: "The two of you both rolled a six this round, so..." she took a deep breath.
"What?" Sakura hated how high-pitched her voice came out as. "What does this mean for us?"
Juraku just shrugged, for once looking slightly lost. "I guess we share Nishinotouin's council seat?"
That got the crowd going again.
"What?"
"They were gambling a council seat?"
"Eeee! This is so tense!"
Sakura sighed. "I suppose so?" She was reluctant, to say the least.
"Alright then!" Juraku clapped her hands. "Thanks for the game, Habakiri, Sakura," she leered at the two.
"Wait." The older girl commanded, causing Juraku to stand stock still, before slowly turning around to face Sakura.
"Yes?" She innocently- innocently- cocked her head to the side.
Wordlessly, Sakura took three strides, positioning herself right in front of Juraku, so that the two were face to face. She leaned in, deliberately blocking out the lewd whistles and whispers of those in the crowd. Juraku's glossy lips were millimetres away from hers.
Involuntarily, Sakura felt her heart rate speed up, and Juraku's (probably on purpose) blown pupils were not helping.
The other girl smelt faintly of jasmine- an aphrodisiac if Sakura remembered correctly. Perhaps that was also part of whatever plan she had spun up.
Absolutely not losing sight of her purpose, she leaned in to Juraku's side, lips brushing against the other girls' earlobe, who stood stock still.
"Get fucked." She whispered, before reaching back and slamming her fist into Juraku's abdomen.
Never had the Student Council of Hyakkaou seen a day like this. Similarly to the perfectly polished floors and well-painted walls, there was hardly a stain on Hyakkaou's pristine reputation.
But then, she came along: the definition of disorder. Bold, brazen, reckless.
Momobami Kirari- a force to be reckoned with.
"Against you, of course."
Her serene voice floated across the room, sending chills down Soutarou's spine. Naturally, he had known exactly who the new girl was as soon as he saw her. Aoi- he always called Miboumi-san Aoi in his head- hadn't gone a day without mentioning her, ever since he'd gambled against her in that game of "Racing Demon", and Momobami Kirari was quite the sight.
If, like his best friend Nagi, Soutarou felt any attraction towards girls, then Momobami-san would've definitely been on the list. Something about her commanding aura, regal posture, oddly calm and melodious voice made him do a double take. That half-smile on her face reminded him a little of Aoi himself, but with Aoi that same smile would have his stomach do flips, whereas with Momobami-san it felt far too detached, far too cold. It chilled him to the core.
"And what makes you think I'd accept?" Kaichou's voice was hard, brittle. Her mouth was set in a thin line, but behind her eyes, Soutarou sensed just the slightest flash of fear.
Clearly, she too was no stranger to Momobami's famous feats.
"Hm, well, I suppose I didn't consider that," the slight lilt in her tone made it impossible to tell whether that was the truth or not. "But why would you refuse? I promise, it won't take too much time at all. Just a quick game with a lowly first year."
"What are the stakes you propose?"
"Self-expulsion, of course!" Momobami-san proclaimed cheerily. "Well- not for you, that is. Self-expulsion for me. Just your Presidency for you."
"I refuse" Kaichou stated flatly, clenched knuckles white.
"Ha! I sooo called it!" For the first time since she entered the room, Soutarou's gaze was drawn away from Momobami-san, and onto one of her counterparts. A seemingly-excitable dwarf, and a masked girl with platinum-blonde hair. It was the short girl with the bunny hoodie and striped stockings that made the brazen exclamation: "Our very own student body President- is a pussy!"
"Now, now, Runa. Be polite." She chided her friend, before turning back to the President. "But quite frankly, Runa has a point. Why so scared? It's just a little game, after all."
"Lower your stakes." Kaichou said sharply.
"How about no. But, I'll let you pick your dealer, hm?" The President clenched her jaw at the outrageous demand.
"What's the game?" Her voice was laced with suspicion.
"Well..." she spoke lightly, "I'd have thought you would've thought of that, really."
The President gasped. "What?"
"Well, see, I originally thought of using Runa here as my dealer, but... I knew you would not trust it. So, I'll leave the choice of dealership to you, Kaichou." Momobami's eyes glistened with something indescribable, an odd kind of mirth. Everything about her was ridiculously strange. She seemed so put together, like her features didn't belong, and at the same time they did.
She stood out, for sure. Beautiful, ethereal, mysterious, regal- different.
And the President? Well, she was, put simply, boring. There was no ire, no spark, no character behind her pretty face and bossy stature. Had Aoi been here he would've enjoyed the gamble.
He had always said that the President reminded him of his fiancée, Miharutaki Sakura: somebody Soutarou had grown to dislike immensely, although he hadn't had the displeasure of meeting her. And yet Aoi also held a certain hatred for Momobami after she had humiliated him. A hatred which Soutarou- naturally- shared.
It would be fun to watch one of the two forces crumble.
"Very well." Kaichou clenched her jaw, eyes instantly flickering to Aoi's empty seat. Aoi was her go-to in situations like these. He held the most charisma out of everyone in the council. Usually she used him as a negotiator, or human shield in situations like these. But, "duty calls", as Aoi said, and had (on any other day, quite rightfully) assumed that his fiancée's and her eternal nemesis Juraku's gamble demanded his presence more than a repetitive council meeting. "Ibuki-san, how do you feel about dealing?"
Soutarou gulped, feeling piercing green eyes settle on him. It wasn't a question. There was a reason as to why Kaichou had picked him. Not because he was the smartest, or the best at gambling.
Nagi always looked to swindle odds in his favour. The President knew that if she picked him, she ran a high risk of him choosing a difficult game, and her losing.
The other boys here were all looking for similar gains, although in different ways. Their connections to Kaichou went beyond Hyakkaou, and if they went against her, future business dealings would be out of the question. So chances were they would pick an easy game, which gave Momobami a higher chance of winning.
Other than Manyuda, the overeager Vice-Treasurer who had taken Aoi's place in that days' meeting, Soutarou was the closest thing to the red-headed boy. And he knew exactly what Aoi would do. Although he was ready to watch either one of the two crash and burn, Aoi knew- and so by proxy Soutarou knew- that out of the two Momobami-san was far more dangerous, and so he would elect a game that swindled the odds in Kaichou's favour.
So, in simple words- a game of pure chance.
"Alright." His throat was parched as Soutarou reached down into his bag, scanning the contents within.
A textbook, his pencil case, some snacks, and a pack of tarot cards, which didn't leave him much to work with. All the gambling sets in the rooms were marked, but Kaichou and her aversion to gambling meant she didn't actually know the cheats. And Momobami-san's games most likely also had a loophole she would exploit for herself. So, with one shaky hand, he took out his pack of tarot cards.
"The game I propose is called "The Tarot cards of Fate"," feeling clumsy and out of place, Soutarou stood up, hoping that any tremors he displayed were more subtle to the onlookers.
One piercing once-over from Momobami-san suggested that this was not the case.
"Oooh, Ibuki-san..." One of the girls- Runa-san, since he didn't know her last name- leered at him deviously. A sparkle of something Soutarou couldn't quite discern flickered in her eyes. Then, tongue swirling around the lollipop, she casually stated: "you must be Miboumi's boyfriend, am I right?"
A stunned silence fell upon the council room. Taking the unresponsiveness as a sign to continue, she ploughed on.
"You know, it's not nice to enable cheating," An omniscient wink in Soutarou's direction.
Instantly, his cheeks flushed red both from the insinuation and from being put on the spot. "I-what? No! A- Miboumi-san and I are merely friends- no, acquaintances! We are nothing of the sort! And I respect his engagement to Miharutaki-san, even if she is unworthy of-" his rambling was cut off by the shorter girl raising a placating hand.
"Calm your tiny dick, I'm just fucking with ya. But that aside, you think Miharutaki-san is "unworthy" of Miboumi-san?" Crap. Soutarou began to sweat, clenching his trembling hands. All eyes were on him, silently judgemental. He had to speak up.
Soutarou swallowed, feeling himself caged. "Well-I- I mean... she-" he stuttered. "He's just so... so handsome and dashing and intelligent and she is... not. Aoi is just... he's perfect. Amazing. Popular. He's impossible not to like, and I'm glad to have merely known him. I'd die happy merely knowing him. Miharutaki? She's known him all her life, and yet she still can't appreciate him. She's so proud, but so, so stupid. Can't take what's offered right in front of her, and I-" The concerned looks from everyone in the room- even Nagi- had Soutarou falter enough for him to step out of his impassioned ramble, realising the exact implications of what he had said.
The flush had spread to the tips of his ears, and he buried his face in his hands, mortified. How could he even think about saying such things?
A ridiculously childlike giggle jolted him out of his stupor. "Nya-ha! And done!" He looked up just in time to see the girl in the hoodie click a button on her phone.
Wait. Was she... recording me?
Horror flooded Soutarou, as the blood drained right out of his face. His mouth fell open, not unlike a gaping fish. "Who," he croaked out. "Who did you send that to?"
"Oh, just Sacchan." Relief replaced horror for a split second, before a new kind of dread replaced that.
"Wait. "Sacchan"? As in, Sachiko? Like, Juraku Sachiko?"
"Haha, we got a smart one! Yep indeed, right now Juraku Sachiko is receiving a rather interesting attachment of her girlfriends' boyfriends' boyfriend criticising said girlfriend. Ooh, she's not going to like that!" The sadistic bunny-hoodie girl looked ridiculously pleased with herself, so much that Soutarou hardly registered the implications of exactly what she was saying. Just that Juraku fucking Sachiko would have seen it, and that was hardly a step up from Aoi.
What was this? Why was she doing this?
"Oh, your silly little head probably can't wrap itself around my intentions here, am I right?" Bunny-hoodie giggled. "Well, to quote Drea Torres: "It's called double assurance, sweetie,"" with that, she sent a sugared wink in Soutarou's direction, the implications of which he understood perfectly.
"See," she continued, "Sacchan and I are close, and I know she'll take this very personally. But perhaps, if you perform well now, I can convince her to lay off you later. So..." a threat, and an incredibly thinly-veiled one at that.
Kaichou obviously sensed it too. "Change of dealer." She said sharply. "I think I'll take Manyuda-san this time around."
Feeling embarrassed beyond belief, Soutarou took his seat again, burying his head in his hands.
This time, however, it was the masked girl who spoke up. "President. I would recommend you didn't do that." Her voice was robotic.
The mask has a voice-changer. Why?
"And who are you to suggest such things?" Kaichou barked. "I am the President of Hyakkaou Academy, and I will do as I please!"
"Really? Because a little birdie told me you've been buying from the Inbamis." Whatever that meant, Kaichou's eyes instantly went wide, her jaw slack. "Wouldn't want that to get out, would we?"
The fuck? Soutarou thought, perpetually flummoxed. The whole situation seemed totally blown out of proportion; surreal. Like something out of a poorly-written Hollywood movie, one of the ones Aoi so loved and Soutarou detested.
"I! Very well!" Pink flush danced in her cheeks. Clearly, whoever the Inbamis were, it wasn't something she wanted to get out.
"Alright! Now that the conditions are set, let us begin, shall we?" The girl with curled plaids said, almost... excitedly?
"Right." Feeling like a fool- a joker- Soutarou stood up, gathering his tarot cards with him. As he did so, he noticed Momobami-san turn to the masked girl.
"Ririka, what to do think of this one?" She said conversationally, eyeing Soutarou up and down.
The masked girl scrutinised him for an indescribable period of time, before turning back to her friend. "Both him and his department are completely useless. And too similar-sounding to Public Morals, which is redundant as well, don't you think?" Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Nagi clenching his fists at the not-so-subtle jab at him.
"Hm. You make a good point. But do you think we should keep him on the council?" The tone was light, airy, like she knew she was going to win.
The masked girl- Ririka- shrugged. "I don't see why we should. And besides, won't he hinder your goal? He's like a weaker version of Miboumi, I think."
"Ah, finally you're seeing sense!" Momobami-san clasped her hands together- how she could be so assured of victory was beyond Soutarou, and her supposed "goals" evaded him.
He felt unsafe, offended and tired.
He followed the four girls to a room adjacent to the council room- a room specially reserved for "business", or in other words, especially important gambles.
Soutarou took out the pack, hands doubly trembling as he began explaining the rules, quaking from their attention alone.
"Th-the rules for "The Tarot cards of Fate" are relatively simple- it's a game based on a draw of luck. We need three people for this game: one to draw the present, one to draw the past, and one to draw the future. Kaichou, you may draw the past, Momobami-san the present, and you-" he gestured to Bunny-hoodie, who cast him a sour look.
"Yomozuki-san,"
"Yomozuki-san, you can draw the future." He took another deep breath, willing to stay calm. What would Aoi do in this situation? Easy. He'd turn on that sexy charm of his rather than rushing in headfirst like Soutarou was inclined to do. But Soutarou? Soutarou was passionate, he was irrational. He wasn't calm, and logical and collected like Aoi. Aoi was the calm, and Soutarou the storm.
"So, like, you still haven't explained how this game works." The short girl took a long lick of her lollipop, her deep eyes boring into Soutarou. God, the fact that she was the one who caused him the most distress out of the four of them, despite her seemingly-innocent appearance was unnerving in itself.
"Simple." He forced himself to say, a lopsided- and probably ridiculous-looking- smile found itself onto his face as he looked up to address Momobami-san and Kaichou. "If the President here draws any card upright, then the score- the number on the card- will be tipped into her favour. If she draws one facing reverse then the score will be tipped negatively, in Momobami-sans favour. However, there is one card." He pulled The Fool out of the stack.
"Ha! A Fool, just like you," Yomozuki smirked, clearly pleased with her pun. Momobami-san too chuckled lightly.
"Yes, The Fool." Soutarou pinched his brow, vexation clear by the expression on his face. "If the Fool is pulled upright, then that means that the game is automatically won by Kaichou. If it is drawn reversed, then victory goes to Momobami-san." He gulped. Now was the deciding moment.
If he chose Momobami-san, he would be discarded into the scrap heap soon enough- that much was clear. And no protection from Juraku Sachiko nor Miharutaki Sakura for that matter was guaranteed either. His position on the council would be undermined.
But if he chose Kaichou, he could still hold on to his position, and perhaps guarantee some sort of protection against Juraku, as well as still holding onto his position as Head of Public Relations. Plus, no more Momobami, since she'd have been expelled.
Really, the choice was rather simple.
Looking Kaichou right in the eyes, he ever-so-subtly folded the corner of the Fool card, before ever-so-subtly placing it at the back of the deck, and dealing out the cards on the circular table.
As he finished, he stood up, and awkwardly made his way to one of the corners of the room. "You may begin." He stated with a calm he definitely did not feel.
"Right. I guess I'm to begin?" There was a nervous edge to Kaichou's voice, and worry began to pool in Soutarou's stomach. What if she hadn't noticed the hint? But no, she was absolutely hovering around the area before she picked up a card. Soutarou's breath caught, upon realising that said card was not, in fact, the Fool.
The Hierophant. Drawn upright. A 5 positive. Soutarou released a breath with a mixture of relief and exasperation. Since odds were against her, it was pretty much a miracle that a positive card was drawn at all. But why hadn't she gone for the Fool?
"Hm. Well, I suppose it's my turn." Piercing blue eyes sparkled, as languid, graceful steps circled the table. "Say, Kaichou, do you believe in fate?"
"Um," the President looked shocked at such a question. "What?"
"Yes, fate... that is what the game is called, correct? "The Tarot cards of Fate"." Momobami-san sighed, almost dreamily, but the determined steel in her icy-blue eyes gave her away. "What do you think about the philosophy of fatalism, in which our lives, our existences, are predetermined? In which everything in our life, is something planned by a higher power?"
"I think it's bullshit." Kaichou replied curtly.
"So then," she stopped circling the table, stopping at- thank god- an area not even close to the Fool card. "What would you call this?" In one, swift movement, she drew the card.
The Judgement. 21. Pulled in reverse. That meant... negative 16 points.
Soutarou's eyes went wide, as Yomozuki squealed excitedly. "Ooh! What a comeback!"
"Thank you, Runa," she directed a quick smile towards her friend. "I believe, it is now your turn."
"Yeah, yeah..." the shorter girl skipped towards the table, frowning intently.
"Hmm, what to pick, what to pick..." she looked up, her deepest eyes locking with Soutarou's, something close to maniacal in her gaze.
"Well, as we all know, that card over there is The Fool." She matter-of-factly pointed towards the marked card.
Well, that elicited a gasp from Soutarou.
"Yes," Yomozuki continued, "You were ridiculously unsubtle, and don't think you won't be punished for cheating."
Shit. Shit shit shit shit shit-
"But I don't think I'll draw it."
What?
"See, you've made the game boring now, dwindling it to fifty-fifty odds of Kirari winning or losing based on whether I draw this card or not." Yomozuki continued, totally nonchalant. "When you're gambling, Ibuki-san, you have to take risks. Which is why..." she closed her eyes, walking along the length of the table, before drawing a card at random.
The Devil. Drawn upright. Additional fifteen points, leaving the grand total...
...at minus one.
"Hehe, looks like we win after all," Yomotsuki stuck out her tongue, "Fool."
Fuck.
Soutarou's eyes widened, a certain paleness setting in on his features and those of Kaichou too. Shock, he thought offhandedly.
Life as he knew it would change forever.
Midari loved Strip Poker for a number of reasons. One- it involved stripping, which meant (usually) sex, or at least- boobs and butts. Two- it involved poker, which was a form of gambling, which Midari loved. Because gambling meant risk and risk meant pain and pain she craved.
And sure, the stakes were ridiculously low in Strip Poker, but it was nice when Midari was running on a lower-than-usual libido, which she was.
And then, Sayaka came into the picture.
Nerdy, "I-wear-glasses-instead-of-contacts-because-I'm-scared-of-sticking-things-in-my-eye" Sayaka had come knocking on her basement door, and agreed to play a round.
Oh, how the turns tabled. Sayaka, this being her first time properly gambling, had a shit poker face. The girl was ridiculously easy to read. At a bad hand she would pucker her lips and furrow her brow, on a good one she would allow herself a small half-smile.
It was a piece of cake to read her, and had been fun to toy with for about three rounds.
But two rounds remained of the game, and she had to agree with her girls- she was quite eager to see Sayaka naked.
This round it didn't escape Midari how Sayaka's face paled. "I'll kick off the bet," she said easily, very much revelling in the flash of panic that crossed Sayaka's face.
"All in."
Shagatake squealed. "Well, hard to top that! Call!"
Kururudo however, looked a little annoyed. "All in straight away? We've got one more round, remember?"
At that, Midari simply grinned. "We-ell," she drew out her vowels, "I was actually thinking we could go with something a little... different in the final round."
"How so?" Sayaka prodded sharply, although there was a certain tremble to her tone.
"Oh, you'll see," Midari chuckled, soaking in the look of panic on Sayaka's face.
"Call!" Tooame exclaimed. "Not that I have much to lose, but..." her eyes flickered over Sayaka, who looked absolutely mortified.
Whatever had possessed her to join the game was most certainly gone now.
"C-call," Sayaka stammered, before slowly, with trembling hands, revealing her hand.
One Jack.
"Ooh! Looks like I'm the winner!" Shagatake exclaimed, brandishing her three queens. "Now, strip, Igarashi, Ikishima!"
Obligingly, Midari shrugged off her miniskirt, now fully naked.
Sayaka, on the other hand, by now was all shaking, having turned pale. "I, um..." she looked embarrassed beyond belief. "I... don't think I can."
Midari scoffed. "Bull-shit! You knew the stakes, now strip, girl!"
She looked just about ready to cry, which had Midari internally wincing at the harshness of her words. "Why did you join the game anyway? It's not your thing." She probed, tone more gentle, conveniently changing the topic.
"I, well..." Sayaka averted her gaze, fiddling with the bottom button of her shirt before slowly- ever so slowly- pushing it through the hole. "It's stupid, honestly."
"Oh, really? Tell me."
Sayaka shook her head, a mousy gesture, before undoing her second button. The other three girls in the room looked just about ready to devour her with their lewd gazes.
An odd rush of protectiveness surged through Midari, something she didn't often feel- but Sayaka was her friend (and failed sexual conquest).
"If you tell me I'll let you keep your bra and pants on." Midari blurted out. Sayaka's eyes widened.
"What?" Tooame yelled. "You can't do that! That's no fun."
"Well, excuse you," Midari's voice roughened, "but I believe that I am the owner of this den. So it's my rules." She growled, before turning back to Sayaka.
"So. What are you doing here?"
The other girl swallowed, fiddling with the hem of her pristine shirt. "Like I said, it's really stupid, but... you know Momobami?"
A pink flush adorned her cheeks. "Well, I've been watching her games- she's really impressive!"
"I know," Midari rolled her eyes, "you just can't stop gushing about her."
"Well, I guess I was thinking how impressive it was that she was just a simple nobody, and then in a matter of days was known all around the school, and so..." by now 5 buttons were undone, revealing Sayaka's rather plain black bra, something which absolutely did not match with her flaming pink underwear. "so I was impressed. Obviously. And I thought: I can be like that too, but to do that I would need to gamble, and so..."
"So you came here to practise." Midari finished for her, feeling more than a little bad.
"Yeah." A silence fell upon the two girls, before Kururudo felt the need to break it.
"Nice panties, now that we can finally see them," she chimed in, because of course she did.
Why am I friends with such perverts? Midari thought to herself- rather hypocritically, she supposed, herself delighting in the shy movement of Sayaka's shoulders as she shrugged off her shirt.
"Take a picture, Kururudo, it lasts longer." Midari chided her friend.
"Please don't," Sayaka whimpered, as one hand instinctively went up to cover her bra, the other her underwear.
Prude.
Honestly, around here most of the time the girls were naked rather than not. The Head of Beautification- to whom the den was distributed to- didn't seem to mind. As a matter of fact, he gave Midari and her girls quite a generous discount for it. The Student Council was chill like that.
"Alright." Midari cleared her throat, tearing everybody's gazes away from Sayaka. "So, I'm thinking, for the fifth round, like I said, I want it to be special. Instead of stripping- since most of us are already naked or at least close to it- whoever gets the best hand has to do a "walk of shame" down the corridor. How does that sound?"
"Ooh, sounds fun!" Tooame clapped her hands together.
"Agreed!" Shagatake said, as Kururudo nodded. Sayaka simply let out a small whimper, although she did look a little relieved. Because although the stakes were higher, this time she only had a one-in-five chance of losing- or winning, depending on which way you looked at it.
Midari shuffled through the deck again, before dealing out all the cards. Three jacks for her.
"Alright, everyone, since we've already placed our bets- reveal!" She exclaimed, slamming down her cards.
Kururudo, Shagatake and Tooame followed.
Sayaka chewed her lip, looking unsure, before she placed her hand down. A royal flush. Pretty much unbeatable.
"Alright!" Shagatake whistled. "Sayaka loses! Go do your walk of shame, girlie!"
Sayaka sucked in her teeth, as the rest of the girls continued crowing.
"Fine." The steel in her voice surprised everyone, including Midari. "I'll do it."
She stood up, and in a few strides reached the door, before stopping.
Midari watched her, brimming with curiosity as the shorter girl inhaled, exhaled, then pushed the door open.
The corridor was pretty much empty- as it always was at this time of day, and visibly emboldened by that, Sayaka took a step out. The four still in the den clambered to the front.
Midari absently wondered what they looked like to onlookers- a semi-naked girl wandering through the corridors and four naked girls standing watch.
Probably insane.
Although they probably were.
Sayaka's strides were quick, and it was painfully obvious she just wanted to get this done and over with.
Weirdly enough, though, there were still no students in the corridors, making the spectacle more boring than it otherwise should've been.
"Ugh, this is so boring!" Tooame buried her head in her hands, before yelling out to Sayaka: "Do more, girlie!"
"Alright!" Sayaka shouted back, clearly emboldened by the fact that there was nobody to see her. A small smile tugged at the corner of her face. "How much more, Midari?"
"Two more laps. See if anyone comes!"
Her strides became shorter, less choppy. It finally looked like Sayaka appreciated the risk, absorbed it, accepted it. Perhaps this would become regular for them-
"That sexy motherfucker,"
Midari's eyes went wide. "Oi, girls, was that one of you?" She nudged Kururudo, who shook her head. Sayaka was frozen on the spot, as a pair of steadily approaching clacking heels made their way across the marble floor.
"Continue!" Kururudo yelled at Sayaka, who didn't move.
"Didn't think she'd have the guts- fucking hell, my stomach hurts like a bitch,"
Muffled cursing could be heard from the stranger, and yet Sayaka was still unmoving as a curtain of platinum-blonde hair made itself on view as the not-quite-stranger rounded the corner.
Juraku Sachiko looked absolutely pissed- mouth a thin line, and the gleam in her red eyes seemingly more hostile than it would've been any other day. Although it was quite difficult to tell, since Juraku was quite a difficult person to piece together.
Regardless, she looked quite undone- one hand clutching her abdomen, and her shoulders hunched just ever-so-slightly: not looking regal in the slightest.
And, some would say it was only natural that the next thing that came out of Sayaka's mouth was a petrified scream. Some.
Midari personally found the expressions on both their faces completely hilarious.
"What the fuck?" Juraku hissed. "Just my luck- first day on the council and I've already got to write somebody up." She marched up to Sayaka, who was quivering with terror.
"You. What's your name?" She demanded, looking as if she would rather be anywhere other than here.
"I-Igarashi Sayaka, Juraku-san. And, um, if I may be so bold to inquire..." Sayaka trailed off as red eyes pinned her down.
"Since when are you on the fucking council?" Midari yelled, causing Juraku to whip her head around.
"What?" She barked, visibly seething. "There's more of you? Fuck me." She let out a pained sigh. "Care to explain exactly what happened here, and why you're all naked?"
"Enjoying the view?" Tooame insolently questioned.
"No, I find you all quite repulsive to look at." Juraku deadpanned. "Except for you. You're cute." She gestured towards Sayaka, earning some shocked gasps from Midari and co.
"Now. Explain." Her tone hardened.
"We were playing strip poker, and then we bet Sayaka to go out into the corridor." Midari rolled her eyes. "So if you'd be kind enough to fuck off..."
From the expression the other girl was giving her, Midari half-expected her to start screaming at them. Not that she would've minded. But instead, her lips curled into a smile, and she let out a small chuckle. "You've caught me on a bad day, girls, but I can appreciate a good gamble. Besides, I'm really not bothered to do the paperwork." She sighed, looking unexpectedly human for once.
"Okay, what the fuck happened today, and why are you being normal? I thought you were, like, this terrifying bitch? And again, since when are you on the council?" Midari questioned, not flinching under Juraku's penetrative stare.
The other girl opened her mouth, but before she could answer, another pair- well, judging from the sound, more than a pair- of shoes clacked down on the floors- much more fast-paced than Juraku.
And again, Sayaka was too slow to react to another figure with long, blonde hair dashing past. It took Midari a second to realise that it was the esteemed Student Council President herself who was running down the corridor and sobbing- sobbing- her heart out. Whatever distraught her so apparently was more important than the sight of four naked girls, Juraku, and Sayaka in her bra and underwear.
Even the seemingly unflappable Juraku looked nonplussed, if only for a brief second.
Then came the yells- mostly just a distinctly childish voice yelling out "LOSER, LOSER, LOSER, LOSER!" As two more people came into view: Yomozuki Runa and Momobami Kirari. Yomozuki appeared to be out of breath, while Momobami seemed perfectly at ease.
"Oh, hey Sacchan!" Yomozuki cheerfully exclaimed, waving at Juraku. "Where's your girlfriend?"
"She punched me in the stomach and got herself a fan club." Juraku rolled her eyes. "So feisty, I swear to god."
"Ah, I'm sure you did something to provoke her," Yomozuki countered, completely ignoring Sayaka, who had turned scarlet, and had inched slowly behind Juraku.
"Perhaps. I may or may not have mentioned her sex life with her fiancé one or two times. Or rather, the lack of it." Juraku wore an amused smile.
The fuck?
"Hm. Well, have you seen our ex-President?" Yomozuki probed.
"Wait." Midari stepped out from her den, very much enjoying the way Yomozuki did a double-take. "Are you the reason she's sobbing?"
"Yeah..." Yomozuki nudged Momobami, who seemed far too busy staring at Sayaka a little too intently. "Kirari ought to explain, though. It's thanks to her we won."
Won? What's going on? I'm loving this more and more every second!
"Oh? Well, I'd hardly say that," a melodious chuckle from the other girl. "See, Runa, Ririka and I took your gamble with Miharutaki-San, Juraku-san, as an opportunity to exact a gamble of our own: with the Student Council President."
"Wagering what exactly?" Juraku questioned sharply.
"My self-expulsion if she won, and her Presidency of I did."
"So," shockingly enough, Sayaka spoke up, peering around Juraku's large form to face the two girls. "You're Hyakkaou's President now?"
"Yep!" Yomozuki exclaimed cheerfully. "And good news, Sacchan! Kirari says she wants you on the council. And maybe Miharutaki-san too, if she isn't as straight as she seems."
"Ah, about that..." a grin made its way onto Juraku's face. "So, when my darling Sakura and I were gambling, the object we were betting was Nishinotouin's council seat, something the two of us won together."
"And you won?" Yomozuki looked confused as to where this was going.
"Well, not quite. The two of us reached an impasse, that is to say, a draw. So, technically we're already on the council, in place of Nishinotouin."
"Isn't she just an honorary member though?" The dwarf-like girl frowned. "I don't remember seeing her at the meeting today."
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking too. So I was wondering if you could pull some strings for us, so we can get a proper seat?"
"Oh, totally." Momobami-san beamed. "I'd be delighted to have you on the council. And Miharutaki-san too, unless she's a heterosexual."
"Sakura? Oh dear lords no. Miboumi can dream all he wants, but she's gay for sure." Juraku stated.
"And you know this because..?" Yomozuki looked sceptical, and Midari didn't even find it in her to interrupt.
She was actually quite invested to see which direction this was going in.
"Because I have a psychic gut-feeling, obviously." Juraku said, before adding: "Also, she came out as bisexual during our gamble. By the way, should I write up these five?" she gestured towards Sayaka, Midari and co, the former blushing and the latter grinning.
"Oh, excellent! Well, notify her right away." Momobami clapped her hands together. "Girl with the glasses, please step away from Juraku-san. As the new President of Hyakkaou, I will refrain from letting Juraku punish you this time around, but next time do adhere to the rules," Sayaka flushed a deep purple from being spoken to by her idol- now Student Council President.
"Ikishima-san and company," she continued, "the lot of you already have a track record, according to Runa. So if I were you, I'd mind yourselves. I don't have a secretary yet, so I'll let you off now, since I'm not bothered to deal with the headache paperwork brings on. But no more nudity in public please- it is quite- ah- distracting." She smiled at the five of them, before turning back to Juraku.
"Now, which way did the ex-President go?"
Juraku grinned, snake-like. "That way. Can I join in humiliating her?"
"Of course."
With that, and with surprising synchronisation, the three of them ran off, chanting "loser, loser," repeatedly, leaving the first years to simply stare in shock.
Notes: aaand our worlds finally collide! Quick FYI- I have no clue as to how poker works, hope I got it right! Soutarou's POV was interesting, ngl. I think he's painfully stupid to have attached himself to Aoi... and I thought it would be fun to have a KiraSaya meet scene in a context like this.
Next up: The Student Council members get used to their new lives.