The Stand User Of The Daily World

Chapter 155: Saotome Mary Cannot Avoid Falling Into a Life of Servitude

"Oh my, oh my, no need to make such a scary face. Let's enjoy this rare gamble together, shall we?"

Knowing that Shunsuke wouldn't interfere in the match, Nishidouin Yuriko relaxed, regaining her usual composed and commanding demeanor.

Saotome Mary, undisturbed, continued thinking as hard as she could. If this were a typical rigged game, her "protagonist" status would give her a chance to turn things around.

But this time, no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't find a way to break the deadlock. The only thing lingering in her mind was that sickening feeling—like she was slowly sinking into a swamp.

—If that's the case…

"Thirty-two chips! I'm betting everything I have left!"

Saotome Mary made a desperate move, wagering all of her remaining 3.2 million yen in one go.

"Oh my, seems like you've made up your mind to go all in."

Nishidouin Yuriko remained composed, calmly pushing forward the same amount of chips.

"Both players have decided. Now, ten swords will be placed."

The dealer in the center dropped ten small swords into the pitch-pot, then swiftly covered the roulette-like board that had numbered grooves for the swords to land in. A ten-second countdown began.

—She took the bait.

Mary's forehead was slick with sweat, but the more desperate the situation, the sharper her mind became.

She wasn't at the level of a genius gambler like Kaiji, but in the past year, she had never lost a game like this. Going all-in at the brink of defeat and making a miraculous comeback was something she had done countless times.

Among the thirty betting numbers, Mary carefully divided her thirty-two chips into seven separate bets. She placed six chips each on 2, 4, 8, 16, and 22, while the final two were placed on 28.

According to physics, with the small-mouthed, wide-bottomed design of this pitch-pot, the swords were more likely to land on lower numbers near the center.

Additionally, spreading her bets out like this significantly increased the difficulty for Nishidouin Yuriko to cheat.

As long as even one of Mary's numbers hit, with a 30x payout, she could make a dramatic comeback in a single stroke!

"I see."

Nishidouin Yuriko saw through Mary's strategy, yet her smile remained unchanged, as if this gamble was of no concern to her at all.

Yumeko's expression shifted slightly, but in her intense focus, Mary failed to notice. And that—her inability to read the subtle cues—was precisely why she lost this match.

Her ordinary background had limited her perspective, preventing her from considering that a student council member like Nishidouin Yuriko would resort to such a straightforward yet ruthless method of cheating—simply betting on the natural outcome.

But it was precisely because Yuriko used such a simple method that she was able to counteract the so-called protagonist's miraculous turnarounds.

After all, the real reason Mary suffered such a crushing defeat today was that, quite simply… she had terrible luck.

"Now, let's reveal the results!"

The dealer's voice rang out as they lifted the cover from the pitch-pot. Ten small swords had been dropped, and two had landed—one of them on 22.

"It's over," Nishidouin Yuriko murmured softly.

"Number 22 has been pierced by a sword, meaning it is deemed dead. Saotome-sama had placed six chips on this number, which, at a thirtyfold loss, results in a deficit of 180 chips—equivalent to 18 million yen. Combined with your previous losses, your total debt now stands at 49.6 million yen. And with that, this match is concluded."

The dealer announced the final numbers with cold precision.

Mary's pupils dilated. Her mouth hung open in shock, her entire face consumed by overwhelming despair. She trembled, unable to form a single word.

That was the brutal nature of this Life or Death game. Even if you calculated everything perfectly and fought with all your might to land the winning bet, there was still the ever-present risk of a sword striking directly or missing entirely.

And that difference—between +30x and -30x—created a staggering 60x gap.

A single moment of hope. A single moment of ruin.

Heaven or hell—all decided in an instant.

"You worked hard, Saotome-san. We'll inform you of the payment methods for your debt later. Someone, take her away."

Nishidouin Yuriko smiled with narrowed eyes, speaking softly—then suddenly, her expression twisted into a grotesque Noh mask of triumph. But the moment she remembered that Shunsuke was still present, she immediately regained her usual composed demeanor.

"Because you… are useless now."

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!"

Mary could no longer contain herself. She clutched her head, dropped to her knees, and screamed, losing all reason.

Losing 8.8 million yen was one thing, but now she was suddenly burdened with a 50-million-yen debt. Even she couldn't repay something like that. Her future was now sealed—she would be crushed under the student council's relentless exploitation, reduced to nothing.

But her breakdown lasted only a few seconds.

She was, after all, a student forged by the brutal environment of Hyakkaou Academy. No matter how deep her despair, she accepted reality with remarkable speed—something that put many so-called "adults" to shame.

Unsteadily, Mary stood up, her eyes dull and lifeless as she turned toward Yumeko.

Yumeko simply smiled at her.

"How unfortunate, Saotome-san."

Then, standing up herself, she continued, "It's a shame, but let's go. I can't wait to gamble with Shunsuke."

"Oh my, Jabami-san, aren't you going to place a bet?" Nishidouin Yuriko feigned surprise. "You seemed so interested before."

"Mmm, I was quite interested at first," Yumeko admitted. Then, her gaze shifted toward Shunsuke—her expression lighting up as though she had just found her destined love.

However, when she turned back to Nishidouin Yuriko, her face instantly dropped into a look of sheer boredom.

"But now that Shunsuke is here, I no longer have any interest in someone as vile as you… nor in such a dull little game."

Yumeko let out a disappointed sigh.

"Originally, I had wanted to let Nishidouin-senpai experience the true thrill of 'Life or Death' firsthand. But I suppose… that can wait for another time."

"W-What nonsense are you spouting!?" Nishidouin Yuriko struggled to maintain her composure. "Are you suggesting I cheated? You can't just throw around accusations like that!"

Mary suddenly grabbed Yumeko's shoulder with a vice-like grip.

"Ouch."

Yumeko let out a soft yelp, but Mary didn't loosen her hold. Her bloodshot eyes locked onto Yumeko's face.

"Jabami-san… You mean they cheated, right? Then hurry up and expose them! If we prove it, this whole gamble will be invalid, right!?"

"That's not how it works, Saotome-san."

Yumeko continued to smile, unfazed.

"A gamble is a gamble. Even if someone cheats, as long as they aren't caught during the match, the results can't be overturned once it's over. After all—"

Her smile widened.

"It's always the fault of the one who gets tricked."

It sounded absolutely twisted, but that was the underlying law of Hyakkaou Academy.

The ones at the top—the true elites of this school—were almost all cheaters in one way or another.

If there was one exception, perhaps it would be Kaede, who adhered to a strict sense of order. Unlike the others, he relied on pure ability and intelligence, making him superior in a way most of the student body couldn't hope to match.

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