"Alright girls, place your bets!" Midari tore the paper into four strips, handing it to each of her girls, who received them with much enthusiasm.
It had been a week since the new council had been elected, and the Beautification officer was due to come in today. Midari had decided to turn that into a game- see who guesses the closest to the result.
"Category number one," she chewed on her pen. "Gender!" Midari exclaimed, before scribbling "female" on the piece of paper.
That part was a no-brainer. The President made her ideology of the "all lesbian council" pretty clear from the beginning.
Usually, in situations like this, Midari would attempt to skew the odds against her favour, but not this time. She would lose on purpose to feel the sting of humiliation, to endure the pain that came wit loss. But today was different. Her gun was on stake, after all.
"Hm, I don't know... there's so many options..." Tooame muttered to herself, brow furrowing slightly.
Shagatake elbowed her. "Tss! Don't be so simple, Tooame. It's all about probability. And the probability of the new Beuatification Head being enby is pretty low."
"But why?" The girl with the bob-cut looked confused.
"Because," Shagatake adopted her "talking to a five-year-old" voice. "The percentage of people who identify as genderqueer in our school is not high."
"Ironic, since the majority of the school is gay." Kururudo cut in, as Midari cleared her throat.
"Ahem. If you're all finished, we can move onto the second category- ahaha!" She grinned to herself. She knew she could win this- she's heard rumours about this, after all. Everybody knew that the Vice-President was the second most powerful position on the council, and that the secretary position was still out for grabs, which left Beautification and Public Morals- the most powerful positions on the council other than the aforementioned.
So, naturally, one of the two had to be Yomozuki Runa, the Momobami's best friend.
"Hot, average or ugly." A more subjective category, that Midari knew. It made it all the easier for her to win, as she scrawled in "average". Even if she was wrong about her assumption, there weren't that many hot people in school. A fair amount, sure, but not that many.
Her girls looked equally concentrated- and determined.
Like always, Midari liked to keep the stakes high- betting their most personal item. Perhaps not as high as usual... but Midari didn't think she could live without her favourite gun.
"Category three: Tall, or short." Hm. Now this was tricky. Yomozuki was on the short side, sure... but there was a 50% chance it wasn't her. And, well, Momobami, Fuku-Kaichou, Juraku, Miboumi- all of them were on the tall side. Midari let out a soft gasp at the revelation.
Fuck, could it be Juraku? She had specifically asked for a position higher than an honorary member- what if she had gotten her wish?
God, Midari hoped so, as she scribbled on "tall".
"Category four;" her voice came out probably more breathy than it should've done, earning her a few confused looks. "Nice, or mean."
In a frenzied flourish, she scribbled down "mean"- the obvious decision. Everyone on the student council was (supposed to be) mean.
"Is that it?" Kururudo asked, as Midari began folding her paper into bits.
"Yup. Put all your papers in the safe," she patted the mini-safe, before her eyes went wide. "Oh! Don't forget to sign off with your name, wouldn't want a mixup, would we?" She cackled, haphazardly scrawling her name down, before thrusting her paper into the box.
Her girls followed suit, and Midari quickly glanced towards the clock.
4:57. 3 minutes until collection time.
"And now," Midari said, faux dramatically, "we wait."
They had their three million yen safely tucked away- and far more. The game was if Miss Beautification could extract it from them. The old officer couldn't, and didn't try too. All Midari's girls had to do was flash their innocent eyes (and massive tits) and he'd submit and allow them to get off scott-free.
But now... Midari shivered in excitement at the prospect. Yomozuki was rumoured to be a lesbian, and from what Midari saw of her- pretty lenient too. She'd probably accept a bribe. Juraku, though... Juraku'd break them until they'd relent, and they'd enjoy it too.
And what if there wasn't a Beautification officer yet, and the President herself stopped by? Midari may have mocked Sayaka for her idealisation if Momobami Kirari, but it'd be a lie to say the girl didn't haunt some of her darkest dreams...
Three firm knocks sounded on the door, tearing Midari away from her thoughts.
Kururudo gasped. "It's them, isn't it?"
"Do you think they have a council yet, or if they came alone?" Shagatake squealed.
"Silence." Midari authoritatively raised her voice. "Save your excitement for later, girls. For now, we need to be professional," a manic leer appeared on her face, as Midari practically skipped to the door- as if she herself wasn't hopping with excitement.
She roughly tugged at the door, grunting slightly as she thrust it ajar, putting on a faux-sweet expression.
Or, at least, what she hoped somewhat resembled an expression of innocence.
After all, first impressions matter, right?
For the first time, a jolt of nervousness hit Midari. What if it wasn't a hot girl, but a perverted guy instead? Well- that was the last Head, and he wasn't that bad- but it'd be incredibly disappointing.
And Midari would lose the gun.
"Ahem. This is Biology Prep Room #5, is it not? Open the door, or I will myself." The voice was rich, textured, and decidedly female.
Shagatake let out a soft whistle. "Open the door, 'dari!"
"Alright, alright," she muttered, before swinging the door open.
Please be Juraku, please be Juraku, please be Juraku...
She prayed, eyes closed, even though the voice was decidedly not Juraku's. It was stiff and professional, not smooth and silky.
But a girl could hope, couldn't she? Midari forced her eyes shut as all her girls let out a gasp in unison.
Slowly, Midari dared to look. God, I'd better not have bet my gun for nothi-
"Fuck," Midari swallowed.
The person at the door was not Juraku, but it might as well have been. Long, dark hair, and piercing blue eyes met Midari's ambers.
"Ikishima. Move aside and quit staring." Miharutaki Sakura shot her a glare, and Midari complied, before coming to her senses.
"So," she sneered, making no secret of ogling the older girl. "You're the new Head of Beautification, are ya?"
Miharutaki stiffened. "Yes." With one thrust, she closed the door with a click. "Now, money, please."
Hm. A harder target than Mr Beautification- Miharutaki Sakura was notoriously straight.
Was.
You'd be an idiot if you thought Ikishima Midari didn't keep up with the hot gossip- and thanks to Kurume Kurumi- another second year- who streamed the Big Gamble Midari (unfortunately) hadn't watched live, she now knew all the deets.
"How much?" Shagatake grinned.
Miharutaki-san rolled her eyes. "You know exactly how much. Five million yen. And don't think you're so smart because you didn't register Library Prep Room #1 and Prayer Room #3 as one of your dens." She growled- a warning.
Kururudo gasped. It wasn't often that the old Head got the amount right. How did she-?
"So. Just give me the money- I'm on a tight schedule today."
At that, Midari forced out a laugh. "Oh, that's hilarious, that is. Five million yen? Where'd you think we'd get all that money from, hm?"
Miharutaki sighed, pinching her brow, before hardening her glare. "I don't know, I don't care. Money. Now."
"Alright, hot stuff. Clearly you don't know the rules around here." Midari drawled, savouring the furious expression on the second-year's face.
"You shall refer to me by my last name only." She forced out, through gritted teeth.
"Yeah, yeah, sorry. The Old Head was more than okay with that stuff, but we'll try to tone it down," Miharutaki's expression softened- softened- at that.
Nope. That won't do. The masochist in Midari thought, before aloud adding: "sexy."
The outrage clearly flashed across her face at that, and Midari revelled in it. "You are disgusting." Miharutaki growled. "Don't make me overturn your den to find the money."
"Go right ahead," Tooame taunted. "You'll never find what doesn't exist."
"Oh? Doesn't exist?" Something indescribable glinted in her eyes, as an almost cruel grin flitted across the normally prim and proper features. "Are you aware of the new "house pet system"?"
"The what?" Midari rudely scoffed.
""House pet system"." Miharutaki drew out the syllables. "It's a new system created by the President- no more of this "stalling your debts" bullshit. If you don't have the money, you get stripped of your status, everything. I could make all four of you my personal house pets if I wanted to, right here and now."
"Oh!" Kururudo, like Midari, seemed unfazed by the threat. "So we'll be like your sex slaves? God, I'd love to get owned by you..." she practically moaned.
The flinty look in Miharutaki's eyes sharpened. "Hm. Is that so?" She paused, giving all four in the room a once-over. "You're all masochists, aren't you?"
Tooame's eyes widened, and her hands clamped over her mouth.
"I take that as a yes," she continued, slowly advancing towards Midari- eyes hard and resolve harder.
One leisurely hand extended forwards, grabbing Midari by her blazer- piercing blue eyes narrowing as they zeroed in on her collarbones.
"Ikishima." Her voice was below zero degrees. "Is that a uniform infraction?"
Midari let out a soft whimper. "Yes, Mo- Miharutaki-sama."
One sharp thrust sent her skidding across the floor, right in front of Tooame, Shagatake and Kururudo.
God, the humiliation coupled with the pain was something else. Midari bit back a moan, despite the fact that the other girl had hardly done anything yet.
"Get a ribbon." Miharutaki snapped her fingers. "Now."
Wide-eyed, her girl exchanged aroused and equally terrified looks, rifling through their pockets before Tooame thrust a ribbon into Midari's shaking hand.
"Tie it." She did, although her hands were trembling. Hard.
Blue eyes seemed to be devouring her whole. Midari swallowed as she properly sized up the Head of Beautification. Miharutaki-san was well-known for her athletic feats as well as her gambling ones- she was the top martial artist in the school: be it Kendo or Jo Jutsu, or anything with sticks*. So Midari knew that if she wanted to, Miharutaki could very well beat the living shit out of her. And the thought of it made her practically sweat with excitement.
Once the ribbon was done up, Midari didn't dare move, just shaking silently.
"Look at me." She still didn't respond. Miharutaki-san slammed her hands onto the desk, causing Shagatake to jolt, and Tooame to wince. "I said, look at me! You will acknowledge your superiors when they address you, Ikishima." Miharutaki snarled, as one hand reached down and grabbed a fistful of Midari's hair, yanking it up so that they were practically nose-to-nose: Midari's pupils blown with arousal, whereas the only expression present on Miharutaki's face was pure disgust.
"You disgust me." She spat out. "Getting off on pain. But business is business, and I trust that soon you will be more... adjusted to my visits. I may not be Juraku on the terms of the sadistic scale, but..." Miharutaki paused, most likely savouring the undivided attention of the room, before lowering her voice, "but I know how to make it hurt."
Sachiko was annoyed, to say the least. Ibuki had been avoiding her that week- she couldn't find him anywhere.
What a fucking nuisance. With the new system, she was confident he'd be a house pet soon enough, but he was evasive. Very much so. Skipping class and all that shit.
Miboumi had been very secretive that week too- in a moment of weakness Sakura had shared that she felt he was growing distant. Not that Sachiko cared about that, but Miboumi Aoi, a notorious schemer, going off the radar was pretty much unheard of. She was instantly- and naturally- sceptical.
To make matters worse, she couldn't even spend the day with her best friend, unlike Kirari who had her best friend and the creepy mask girl following her around everywhere, since the President had forced her off on a debt-collection tour, and invited Sachiko herself over for some tea. She probably ought to have been glad that Sakura offered to take the weeks paperwork up (paperwork was tedious and gave her a headache, and Sakura was worried she'd "fuck it up"- such a caring friend, that one was), but Sachiko found herself growing bored, restless.
She was on the top of the mountain, and the view disappointed her. She didn't want to be like Miboumi- searching, searching, but never finding anything- or like Sakura, who was constantly stressed and running circles. She wanted to be like Kirari: constantly amused.
But alas, life had other plans, and now that the object of her amusements was gone, Sachiko felt she had no choice but to accept the invitation- if it could be called that. It was more of a demand, really.
It was two sharp knocks she gave onto the student council room- for that was where Kirari had asked to meet her. After responsibilities for the day were delegated (hardly, really. All Runa and Miboumi had to do was say "everything's fine" and Kirari let them go. The President herself and her masked crony seemed to not be doing anything themselves), the student council room was to be empty for the rest of the day- making it the perfect spot for a meeting.
"Enter." Withdrawn, and politely professional was the voice of Momobami Kirari- Sachiko mentally steeled herself as she pushed the door open.
There she was, reclining on her throne, head slightly thrown back, perfectly manicured nails tapping away. Those idiotic braids remained curled against the side of her head, but Sachiko found that the sight didn't annoy her as much as it would have on anyone else.
But despite her seemingly leisurely stance, her posture was that of a predator: lean, straight and proud. It was a look Sakura liked to adopt every-so-often, but Kirari here seemed to be doing it almost unconsciously.
"Ah, Sachiko, how kind of you to join me." That voice, the innocence of it beguiling only to the fool. Any reasonably sane person would run away from it, from the hungry look in her ocean-blue eyes, from the half-smirk tugging at her lips.
But Sachiko was neither reasonable, nor particularly sane. Ever a social chameleon, she mimicked the President's stance- a straight posture, and a professionally blank expression.
"Save the formalities, Kaichou." She sneered. "What do you want?"
A melodious chuckle countered the statement, one that grated on Sachiko's nerves. God, Momobami Kirari was something else, alright.
Fierce. Calm. Respectable. Dishonourable. Honest. Deceptive.
A contradiction personified.
"Straight to the point, are you? My, Sakura sure seems to be rubbing off on you, Sachiko." A comment with quite a bit of depth. Sachiko clenched her jaw.
She was just waiting for the day Kirari would get that damned secretary- then she'd have the last laugh when it came to relationships.
"Well," Sachiko didn't let it show, though, "I must confess, I am rather intrigued as to what gamble you intend to procure for me today."
"A gamble?" Kirari blinked in faux surprise, before grinning easily. "You read me well. I've been getting restless, this week," she stood up from her throne, averting her gaze towards one of the aquariums in the corner. "Being the top fish in the Aquarium that is Hyakkaou is remarkably mundane."
"You can say that again," Sachiko muttered to herself.
Kirari stopped in surprise, turning to face the red-eyed girl- expression brimming with curiosity, even if it was only for a moment, before she resumed the blank facade. "Well. It appears you and I are much more alike than I previously thought. Come."
She easily procured a slender hand towards Sachiko. "Follow me. We'll play Full-Count Blackjack with tea."
Not having any particular option, and too curious to back out now, Sachiko followed. Curiouser and curiouser.
""Full-Count Blackjack"?" She prompted. "I don't think I've ever heard of that. Sounds interesting."
Kirari threw her head back with a giggle. "Oh, it is, it is."
"But I know how to make it hurt." Midari's ears were ringing, her mouth salivating of its own accord.
"Get up!" Miharutaki's voice echoed through the room. "Get up and hand over the money, and if you do... gah!" She scrunched up her facial expression, clearly repulsed, before mumbling: "I'll give you all the same treatment as Ikishima, since that is clearly what you so desire."
"Hurt me some more, Gorgeous," Midari forced out between pants, "and then you're on."
The minuscule, sadistic part of Midari revelled at the look of tight professionalism and tiredness that flashed across Miharutaki's face.
"Fine." She forced out, grabbing a hold of Midari's neck- tight. Fucking hell.
Pain was one thing, and the way it flared through Midari's body, in short bursts, the way her lungs screamed as the air from them was sucked out, was horrifically arousing. It left a mark, a permanent scar. But pain was easy to inflict. When done without a care, with simple, blank professionalism, it was the simple sensation that half-way aroused her.
But when she could physically feel the anger and disgust pouring from the girl hurting her, when she could feel her muscles flexing with the strength it took to incapacitate Midari... that, that was another level of high.
Miharutaki then let go, causing a gasping and wheezing Midari to fall to the ground. Her girls stared down, pupils blown.
"Get the money." Miharutaki kicked Midari's side. "Now."
Instantly, as if under a spell, her normally sassy girls complied without hesitation, gathering not five million but twenty in their haste. Not that Midari particularly minded. From one visit, the new Head had managed to get through to them in a way the old Head couldn't ever.
"H-here you go, Miharutaki-sama," Tooame quaked as she handed over the pile of money, which Miharutaki brusquely tucked under her arm.
"Very well. Should I write the lot of you up for insubordination? President Momobami says she saw all four of you parading the corridors, naked, just a week ago." Shagatake gasped.
"Y-yes! We deserve it, Miharutaki-sama! Oohh!" She let out a moan.
"You all are repulsive," the older girl barked, before shrugging off her blazer. "I shall put all four of you on toilet duty for a month!" The corner of her mouth twisted sourly.
"Good god why am I here instead of Sachiko?" She murmured, before in a louder tone of voice saying: "Line up!"
Excitedly, like a bunch of puppies, the girls all queued up, with Shagatake at the front. "Break my fingers, please!" She squealed, offering up her hands. Her eyes shone as if Miharutaki was the moon itself.
Revulsion apparent on her face, in ten robotic, snapping motions, she broke every single one of Shagatake's fingers. Without hesitation. It was something which caused Midari to suck in an awed breath at. Her panties were already soaking, but something about seeing Miharutaki cause pain to somebody else felt almost voyeuristic to her. One hand crept down, under the hem of her skirt.
Shagatake's yowl was loud enough to shake the very foundations of Hyakkaou, yet Miharutaki hardly flinched. Midari's ministrations got steadily faster.
"Next!" Tooame visibly quaked under Miharutaki's thunderous voice. Her thighs pressed together, and at that Miharutaki wrinkled her nose. "Fucking hell..." she swore, before almost absently cracking her knuckles. "What do you want?"
"I, um..." wordlessly, Tooame pointed at her neck, to which Miharutaki extended her arm, grabbing hold of it. In the lighting, her eyes looked almost purple- a stormy, crazed look that Midari found suited her quite well in this scenario.
Tooame gasped, falling to her knees, as Miharutaki's grip steadily tightened. Her cheeks flushed with arousal, and tiny tears pricked in the corners of her eyes. Then, the Beuatification Head wrenched her arm away, grabbing onto the lapels of her blazer, and pushing her away. Midari moaned, levels of ecstasy reaching their peak.
Kururudo was next. "Degrade me." She said, simply.
"Easy." Miharutaki lowered her voice, before leaning in right next to Kururudo and whispered something into her ear. Midari could only watch as her expressions flitted from excited to shocked to aroused and angry.
"Now, go." Pulling away, Miharutaki dismissed her with a sharp flick of the wrist, before her gaze landed on Midari, who was still sprawled over the floor.
"You." There was no mistaking the venom in her voice. "Get your hand out of your pants!" She barked. "At the very least have the decency to get off when I'm not around. You, Ikishima Midari, don't get to choose your punishment." She raised her heel, before bringing it down into Midari's face, as her world exploded into fragments of pure ecstasy.
Miharutaki took a sharp turn towards the door.
"My job is done." With that, she exited, shutting the door behind her with a click, leaving all four of the girls motionless, panting and ridiculously aroused.
Faintly, Midari could taste something warm and metallic on her lower lip. "Fuck," she muttered. "I think she broke my nose."
Kururudo was the first to recover. "God-damn!" She squealed. "That was...-"
She was cut off by a sobbing Tooame: "I lost, I lost! I put in all the wrong categories!" She groaned, cradling her throat.
"So did I..." Shagatake sniffed. "Kururudo, since you're the only one who isn't incapacitated right now, could you go get the box for us?"
"Sure!" She said cheerily. "Would you girls like to know what she said to me?"
Midari moaned. "Oh, please. That girl is a fucking volcano."
Tooame blinked, still coughing. "God, I so need a good shag to get off now... anyone up for some role play? I'll be myself, and you can be Miharutaki-sama."
"Oh, no way josé! I don't have a sadistic bone in my body," Kururudo said, reaching for the safe. "Midari, though, I think she's be up for it."
"Oh, man..." Midari croaked. "I'm fucking done already and she hardly laid a hand on me... hey girls, is my nose broken?"
Shagatake squinted at her. "Yup. Fuck, you had it the best of us all, 'dari. I feel like we got the scraps."
"Aha!" Kururudo exclaimed, bringing the box to them. "Let's see who won."
Hands still trembling, Midari propped herself up, unlocking the safe and taking out her paper.
She stared wide-eyes at her predictions:
Female, average, tall, mean.
3 out of 4. Midari let out a low whistle. "Alright! Shagatake, what'd you get?"
""Female, average, short, nice". I thought it was gonna be Yomozuki!" She put her head into her hands. "I've never been so happy to be wrong,"
"That's not as bad as mine!" Tooame wailed. "I got "Genderqueer, hot, short, mean."
Midari snorted. "Oh my god, who'd you think it was?"
"I dunno! I was trying to score based on probability!"
"Well, you got more than me," Shagatake sulked. "But hey! At least I'm gonna be feeling this," she gestured towards her broken fingers, "for a long, long time."
"What did you get, Kururudo?" The other girl was smiling, before she thrust her paper at Midari.
"Ha! Suckers. I got three out of four! "Female, ugly, tall, mean"." She said smugly, as Shagatake rolled her eyes.
"Who the fuck do you know who is tall, female, ugly and mean?" She crossed her arms.
Kururudo stuck her tongue out. "You're just jealous that I've won."
Tooame raised a placating hand. "Wait! We haven't heard what Midari's got yet."
"Damn right," Midari grinned. "I put "Female, average, tall, mean". Technically also three out of four- but as any idiot can tell, "average" is closer to "hot" than "ugly" will ever be, so..." She stuck out her tongue, albeit a little childishly.
"I win, bitches!"
"The rules of Full-Count Blackjack are as simple as they come." The two were seated opposite each other, at the circular table. Ocean blue met fiery red- their gazes locked in a heated battle, yet Kirari's voice still sounded oddly detached.
In her hand, she held two decks of cards, one of which she passed to Sachiko. A normal player's first move at this point would've been to inspect the deck, but there was no need to do so.
Cheating was not amusing- and what Kirari was looking for was entertainment, that much she divulged. Or, at least, that's what Sachiko bet on.
And Sachiko was a damn good gambler.
"Each player has three minutes to form five hands with their cards. Then, one by one, they'll play all five of their hands. This is a friendly gamble, so the five betting chips we'll be using will have no value. You can bet, raise, call, and fold if you so desire. If you fold, that means that your hands won't be revealed. If you call, then your hands will be played against each other." Kirari paused, before taking out an ace and a king from her pack.
"This is the strongest hand in "Full-Count Blackjack", referred to simply as "Blackjack". It beats any hand. Second-strongest is a hand of 21. Each deck is dealt with several blank cards, so that when you do play the Blackjack, other players will not know based on the amount of cards you put down." Then, she seemingly procured a sand-timer out of nowhere.
"Do you understand now?"
Sachiko simply nodded. "Let's play."
"Good." Kirari put down the sand-timer. "This is the allocated time given to us to sort out our hands."
With that, Sachiko silently picked up the deck, eyes narrowing instantly. The idea behind the game was relatively simple, and there was a combination of cards that she could form, giving her the "best combo". A Blackjack, three 21's and an 11.
The go-to hand in a usual scenario, but as her eyes flickered over to Kirari, who hadn't moved and seemed to be silently observing her, Sachiko knew that she would've expected this.
She would've expected Sachiko to go for the best combination, most likely. Or would she? Kirari wasn't one to underestimate people- more likely overestimate. After all she had kept that leech Miboumi on the council, which to Sachiko said quite a bit about her.
Which meant that she most likely expected Sachiko to counter it, with a Blackjack, two 21's, one 20 and a 12. And in order to trump that, Kirari's hand would have to be a Blackjack, two 21's one 19 and a 13.
So, for Sachiko to beat that, she ought to prepare a Blackjack, two 21's, one 18 and a 14. A relatively weak hand, but oh well.
It would have to do.
With a flourish, she placed down her hands on the table, slightly unnerved by the fact that Kirari hadn't made any move with her deck yet, instead silently observing, scrutinising, boring into Sachiko.
"You're confident." She stated, finally picking up her deck, and skimming through.
Sachiko blinked. "And so what if I am? It is only a gamble, after all. I have perfectly even odds of winning." She said silkily, reclining back on her chair.
"Hm," Kirari chuckled. "You and I... we're very alike. Is that why you like Sakura so much?"
Sachiko tilted her head to one side. "Pray, do elaborate."
"Oh! Well, there's her, who values reason above all, acts rationally and with principle, and then there's you: someone who looks for entertainment and sucks it dry." The President stood up, smoothing her skirt, before making her way to the corner of the room, where there lay a platter of tea and biscuits.
In several elegant, dainty movements, she brought it back to their table.
"The Traditional Culture Club brings these every day," she answered Sachiko's unasked question, before returning to her deck. "They're delicious, do try some."
"The Traditional Culture Club? Is dear old Yuriko trying to get into your good graces?" Sachiko scoffed, reluctantly nibbling at a biscuit. She had to admit they were rather good.
Kirari giggled. "I suppose so. I've been keeping this us for long enough, though. The tea and biscuits are all fine, but I don't intend on keeping her around."
"Hm." Sachiko glanced at the sand-timer, which was by now almost empty, before locking gazes with Kirari again, as their conversation died down.
Usually, when Sachiko stared at someone, they would look away, fidget, blush, squirm, perhaps. Or maybe even all of the above. But Kirari did none of that, sitting scarily still, and looking graceful in a way Sachiko never could.
Her gaze seemed to be devouring her, turning her inside out.
Is this what it feels like to be on the receiving end of one of my stares? Sachiko wondered.
Then, she smiled. Not a sharks smile like the one she shot at Miboumi, and not a vague, plastic smile like the ones Sakura gave to him. More like the genuine ones Miboumi received from Ibuki.
And that... that probably chilled Sachiko more than if it had been any of the former two.
"I like her because she's different." Sachiko was the first to back out of their staring contest.
Kirari slowly blinked. "What?"
"Sakura. I like her because she's different from the rest. She's not after power, or money, or connections. She's not looking for amusement, or to climb the social hierarchy. She doesn't gamble because she's made to, either. Sakura does these things because she can. She's already rich, and powerful, but unlike a lot of people here, she probably won't know freedom if it smacks her in the face."
"What do you mean by that?" Kirari gently put away the sand timer, and began sifting through her hands. Sachiko did the same, deciding to start off with her 18.
"Sakura's been locked in a constricting engagement for half her life. I mean, what era are we in? Sengoku? Kamakura? Heian?" Kirari made a noise of agreement in her throat. "No amount of money she makes by gambling will ever compensate for that. Eventually, she'll be forced to have children- whether she wants to or not- to take care of them, to love Miboumi, whether she wants to or not. And she knows it. Gambling is something she does because she can. It doesn't bring joy to her, and she's not the sort of person who can be destroyed by her greed, either."
Kirari put down her hand, calmly taking a sip of her tea.
"That's interesting, when you put it that way. I myself would be attracted to someone unfailingly logical, in the face of irrationality. Those kinds of people always intrigued me, because I could never understand their thought process. To be logical, in a place like Hyakkaou seems unthinkable to someone like you and me, doesn't it?" Kirari idly picked up a chip. "Oh. I bet one chip." She threw it towards the centre of the table.
"Raise, to three." Sachiko said. She was betting on Kirari folding- because under no circumstances was she going to reveal her cards, since that'd mean that she'd pretty much reveal her entire hand-
"Call." Kirari said serenely, before flipping over both the cards. In Sachiko's hand- an 18. In Kirari's- an 11.
"Oh, this game is going to be very amusing, I can already tell." She said, handing over three of her five chips to Sachiko.
Huh? An 11? That... that doesn't make any sense. Why would she... unless it was just to throw me off? Probably.
Thoughts like these swirled around Sachiko's head, but she kept her expression perfectly and professionally neutral.
"But you," Kirari continued their previous line of conversation. "You... you're attracted to those who are untouchable. Those who you cannot have. Am I correct?"
"I'm not attracted to Sakura." Sachiko instantly countered. "Well, I am a bit- who wouldn't be? But she's not somebody I'm actively yearning for."
She selected her next hand- a 21, before placing it face-down.
"Is there somebody you're yearning for?" The President took her sweet time, raising one snow-white eyebrow at Sachiko.
"Not right now, I suppose." She settled on saying.
"Do you want to?"
"Want what?" Sachiko fired back.
"Yearn for somebody. Nurture a loving relationship. Just... Devote your whole being to one person." Kirari listed, almost absently, her mind clearly somewhere else.
"President, with all due respect," Sachiko said, "I think you read too much fanfiction."
Instantly, the other girl's gaze snapped back to reality. "Yes, that is a flaw of mine, I must confess. I've always been somewhat of a romantic."
Sachiko snorted. "A romantic? In Hyakkaou? Oh, for this round I'll bet two chips."
"Yes," the other girl replied airily, "is there something wrong with that?"
Sachiko pursed her lips. "I mean, from someone like you, it's not entirely unexpected."
"So you don't believe in a future spent with somebody, and just that somebody? In a loving relationship that could last?" Kirari probed. "Oh. Call."
Sachiko flipped their hands over, revealing a 21 from her side, and a Blackjack from Kirari's. Now they were almost level, with her chip count at six, and Kirari's at four.
"Hm, looks like we're evening out now." The President remarked, before gingerly taking another biscuit off the platter and taking a minuscule bite out of it.
"Yes, I suppose we are," Sachiko's eyes narrowed just ever-so-slightly. "To answer your question though... I don't suppose I've ever really found someone where everything just clicked into place. There's a lot of baggage that comes with someone like me, if I'm being honest." She sighed, smirk slipping into a neutral line.
Kirari's curiosity was very clearly aroused now.
"And most girls don't want to have to deal with it." She concluded, attempting to gauge Kirari's reaction.
"A shame." She mused aloud. "You're a very attractive person. And I think Sakura thinks so too. Bet three chips." She placed down a hand.
This time, Sachiko put down her Blackjack, hoping to dwindle Kirari down to just one meagre chip.
...But then again, she could go further, couldn't she?
"Raise. All in. And of course Sakura thinks so- every girl I've flirted with has had the same reaction as her." Sachiko said nonchalantly.
"Oh? Really? So every girl you've flirted with publicly rejected you?" A teasing smirk tugged at the corner of Kirari's mouth.
So. They were on that level of camaraderie, apparently.
"Please. She's just afraid to voice her attraction aloud in front of her fiancé. We both know how she really feels." Sachiko winked in response.
"True that, true that..." Kirari's eyes glazed over, before they hardened. "Fold. You've got a Blackjack there, haven't you?"
"Perhaps." Sachiko folded her arms over the back of her head. "But I suppose we'll never know." Kirari slid a chip over the table, while Sachiko inwardly cursed herself for not simply calling the bet.
"You know," Kirari chose a hand without even looking at it, "I've always thought it was strange that I was never attracted to people like me. Is that strange?"
Sachiko simply shrugged, selecting her 21. "I wouldn't know. I've never really met anyone like myself."
"All in." Kirari said merrily.
"Call." Sachiko said, with equal ire.
Kirari delicately turned the hands over- a 21 and a 21.
"Hm. Draw." With a small shrug, she pushed the cards to one side. "Say, we never actually discussed the stakes, did we?"
"No, I suppose not." Sachiko placed down her fourteen. "All in." A risky bet from her, that she knew. But Kirari didn't have direct proof of the Blackjack from two rounds ago, and so Sachiko was willing to bet that in her late-afternoon "tea-and-biscuits" "romantic girl" state, she'd simply fold under the assumption that-
"Call." Kirari chirped instantly, before turning over the hands. "Oh! My 21 beats your 14. I guess the win is mine."
Huh? Impossible! She picked the best combination- the simplest combination... why? Sachiko's eyes widened. She had expected a ridiculously elaborate ploy from the President- that was what she was known for, after all.
But what she got was a damningly simple play instead.
Perhaps that was Kirari's secret after all?
"Well, I profess, that was a very close game, Sachiko." She extended one perfectly-manicured hand towards Sachiko, who had the grace to respond, giving it a light squeeze.
"Yes, indeed. So, Kirari," she leaned forwards,
"What do you have in store for me?"
Sakura's head was spinning when she walked away from Ikishima's den. She felt exhausted, nauseous, and incredibly disturbed, to say the least.
The behaviours from those girls were something oddly primal, barbaric. Getting off on pain wasn't a concept entirely unknown to her, but this was a whole knew level.
I'm so relegating them to Sachiko... at least until I have my own committee, she shook her head, silently fuming.
Those girls had awakened something in her Sakura didn't even know existed. She knew there was a sadistic side to her, sure, everyone had one. But this? The twisted joy she got from blocking off Ikishima's air supply, from snapping all 10 of that other girls' fingers, from watching all four of them squirm under her iron gaze... it was something she felt cold dread and uncomfortably hot arousal from.
God, there was something wrong with her.
She slumped against the wall, head throbbing. The paperwork she'd taken off Sachiko was taking its toll on her, that anyone could see. She rubbed her temples, sighing.
The past week had been a cluttered mess for her. Being on the council was clout-worthy, sure, but it didn't extend much beyond that.
For now.
In the distance, she could make out some high-pitched giggling and a two pairs of shoes clacking on the marble floors.
"You're too like me for my own good, I swear. Couldn't you have picked something a little less degrading?"
"You're degrading! You do you, after all!"
"You're the worst."
Still a little woozy, Sakura forced herself to stand up. She knew that a lot of people weren't aware of her new status yet, but in time they would be, and first impressions mattered, after all.
Just as she did, the two girls (presumably) from earlier rounded the corner. Sakura pretended to not mind them, as she ducked her head low, and-
"Oh, Sakura! Woman of the hour," that voice, honeyed and textured, coupled with faux-innocent blue eyes to match. Sakura forced her gaze up at Student Council President Momobami Kirari, who was holding a phone up for some unknown reason.
"Um, hello Kaichou," Sakura mumbled, gaze flitting away from the girl with curled braids, and towards the person with her- who was none other than Juraku Sachiko, and god did she look unreasonably good in that moment.
There was a rare genuine smile on her face, along with light pink dusted over her cheeks. Her complexion was as always pristine, her hair looked silky to touch and-
-and Sakura realised just how haggard she probably looked in that moment, consciously straightening her posture and tearing her gaze away from her sexy nemesis.
""Woman of the hour"?" She repeated after the President, feeling a little out of the loop.
"Oh, yes! See, Sachiko over here lost a bet, and you're just the person we were looking for!"
"Bet? Me? I... I fail to-" Sakura was cut off by Sachiko raising a placating hand, the corner of her mout tugging down.
"Okay, Sakura, I'm going to need you to shut up for a second, alright?" Sachiko placed a finger on the older girls' lips, effectively shutting her up, before abashedly looking away.
"I just want you to know that I am a firm feminist and believe that consent in almost all scenarios is very important, and that men are trash, but," she shot a glare at Kaichou. "Kirari apparently is not. And apparently also reads too much fanfiction. And is obviously a good gambler, so-"
"Just get to the point!" Sakura said impatiently. She wanted to get away and get an aspirin. Would everyone just leave her alone, please?
"Oh?" As soon as that smirk was back, Sakura was back on her guard.
"Alright then. If you say so." Behind the assuredness of her words hid an uncertainty that had she been anyone else Sakura wouldn't have caught.
Before she could react, however, Sachiko's hands closed over her wrists, clamping them down.
"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" The President cheered from the sidelines, looking uncharacteristically enthused for once. Sakura's blood turned to ice.
"What the fu-"
Sachiko's lips closed in on Sakura's, enveloping her in her jasmine-y scent before she could utter another word.
The raven-haired girls' eyes widened, as she attempted to pull away, but Sachiko held her firm.
She wasn't moving against her, or anything like that. On the contrary, she was being oddly respectful- or about as respectful as you can get with kissing someone out of nowhere. In fact, Sakura got the distinct feeling that Sachiko was holding back.
Her hands were like iron clamps around her, constricting all movement.
Fucking hell. That sadist Momobami... when she lets go, I'm going to have a word or two with them...
Sakura thought, before a more devious idea entered her mind.
Rather than struggling, she instead boldly wrapped an arm around Sachiko's waist, and probed her tongue in the other girls' mouth, Sachiko didn't show her surprise, but it was noticeable as her grip around Sakura loosened, and the older girl wriggled free, panting heavily.
"Fucking hell, Juraku." She forced out, as the other girl eyed her almost bashfully.
"Sachiko, please." Kaichou singsonged. "I'd like for-"
"Oh, with all due respect- fuck you, President Momobami." Sakura bowed to her in faux respect. "Also, I apologise in advance for what is to be done." She said, before slapping the phone right out of Kirari's hand, revelling in her shock as it clattered to the ground.
With one heel, she stomped on it, revelling in the cracking sound it made.
But it wasn't enough. With one swift kick, she booted it against the wall, effectively smashing it, panting heavily.
"God-damn." Sachiko said softly, the first to recover.
"What. Is. Wrong. With. The two of you!" Sakura yelled.
"Oh, good lord..." Kaichou muttered. "Such a shame you broke the phone. Ririka is going to throw a fit, this one was hers."
"Who's Ririka?" Sachiko asked, turning back to the President.
"Oh! She's my-"
Whatever the President said next was left unheard by Sakura, who simply walked away.
"Sakura, wait!" Sachiko shouted- uncharacteristically vulnerable for a moment.
"Fuck off!" She yelled back, albeit a little childishly, giving the other girl the Finger.
Notes: Oof . Angsty. They'll work it out though, I promise. Or not. I somehow love Sakura and Sachiko's dynamic- they're totally opposite people, but in a way they both remind me a little of Kirari and Sayaka. Probably a reason as to why I ship them, even though it's pretty much a rarepair. I really, really, really want to add in the KiraSaya fr, but the timeline is so iffy and I'm doing my best. They'll meet soon, though, and I've been doing my best to drop as many hints as I can.
On a brighter note, I finally watched Twin Live Action. It was absolutely hilarious (What era are we in? Sengoku? Kamakura? Heian?). I 100% recommend it- it's done so well. Tsuzura and Yukimi are actually relevant, and all super funny.
Something I took from the Live Action S6 intro which is now my personal headcannon. Go check it out, fr. She was so badass in that scene istg.
Next up: Yuriko's wish to be on the council is scorned, and Naoe faces the brunt of it. Sayaka and Midari decide to sign up for the committees.