NOVEL NEXT Chapter 77: [77] "Fairness," "Impartiality," and "Absolute Neutrality" Are All Nonsense
Chapter 77: "Fairness," "Impartiality," and "Absolute Neutrality" Are All Nonsense
"Is that your plan? While our students may have some betting money, a figure like thirty billion yen is likely only within reach for members of the student council," Kirari pondered for a moment.
"Let Runa the Student Council bet against you. However, when the winnings reach thirty billion, it must all be decided in a single, all-or-nothing hand. Additionally, this gamble will require an extra stake—one of your fingers. Lose, and you'll have to cut off your little finger."
"President, I'm just a neutral dealer, absolutely impartial. I don't get involved in gambling so easily, you know."
"Don't worry. Shunsuke is good with dice, so you'll just act as the dealer and roll the dice," Kirari instructed.
As for herself, she wasn't in the mood for gambling today.
She decided to leave it for another time.
As for Shunsuke, if he couldn't pass this test, it was unlikely he'd ever come back.
But if he did manage to succeed, then the best part should be saved for last—something to savor slowly after careful preparation.
"And what if he loses? He is someone you value, President, and losing would mean thirty billion yen down the drain," someone asked.
"I'll cover the cost," Kirari replied with unwavering confidence.
Seeing that Kirari's mind was made up, Runa laughed loudly. "Hahaha! Shun-kun, you've really pissed off the President this time."
"Oh~ Yomozuki-senpai, it seems your skills are top-notch. Please go easy on me later," Shunsuke responded with exaggerated politeness.
In the original story, Runa had never participated in a gamble herself, always acting as the dealer.
Her actual gambling abilities were unknown, but holding such a significant position within the student council made her someone not to be underestimated.
However, Shunsuke didn't seem to care much. Casually brushing it off, he turned to Kirari with a seemingly helpless expression.
"More than this gamble, I'm actually more curious about you, Momobami-senpai. Why are you always so fixated on my body? Thirty billion yen for my pinky finger? My heart is racing doki-doki right now. Honestly, why not just go all out? For three hundred billion, you could buy me entirely."
"How rude!" Sayaka's eyes burned with fury. "How dare you speak to the President like that!"
Kirari, however, remained unfazed. "You're not worth that much yet. But if you perform well, buying you might not be out of the question."
For a brief moment, Shunsuke felt the urge to shout, "Rich lady, feed me!" These spoiled elites were even wealthier than he'd imagined.
At the same time, another thought stirred within him. He felt an even stronger desire to rip off Kirari's queenly mask and witness her utterly broken expression.
This impulse surged so powerfully that it almost drove him to channel Yoshikage Kira.
Kirari seemed to have noticed something—or maybe she hadn't.
The faint smile at the corner of her lips made her expression as inscrutable as that of a poker-faced Megumi Kato.
The thoughts of someone in her position were always difficult to read.
Afterward, Runa led Shunsuke to the largest casino in the school.
As Kirari had put it, a gamble of this level should be something all students could enjoy.
"Bring me a chip worth one billion yen," Runa instructed a girl dressed in a mascot costume.
Her subtle glance indicated that this girl was one of the Student Council Management Committee members under her command, responsible for acting as dealers and referees within the school.
Without asking for a reason or requiring any collateral, the girl quickly produced a single chip.
"Here, a chip worth one billion yen," she said.
Runa, still smiling like an innocent girl, radiated an almost palpable malice.
Chips weren't money, and they could be divided. No one in an unfamiliar setting would bet everything in the first round—losing it all would leave no chance for a comeback.
Shunsuke took the chip and commented, "I thought you liked me, Yomozuki-senpai. I haven't even finished the lollipop you gave me."
Runa tilted her head as though she didn't understand his words. "Of course I like you, Shun-kun. In fact, I like you even more now."
"Is that so? Then, if I win, how about having dinner with me? My treat."
"Huh?" Runa looked stunned. "Aren't you interested in the President? Why are you suddenly targeting someone like me with this petite frame? Are you… a lolicon?"
"Of course not!" Shunsuke immediately denied the accusation of such a terrible label. "I'm just a simple literary boy who enjoys appreciating beauty."
"Haha! Shun-kun, you really know how to joke around," Runa laughed, but her expression twisted in an instant. "A smooth-talking breeding male, huh? I hope you'll still be this carefree later."
"Wow, scary," Shunsuke muttered.
To witness a real beauty contort her face so expressively—it was a sight Shunsuke found deeply satisfying.
His anticipation for Kirari grew even stronger.
Seeing that Shunsuke wasn't intimidated, Runa grew annoyed and approached a gambling table. "Hey, move."
"Y-Yes, of course!" The students at the table immediately cleared out, and those at nearby tables stopped their own gambling to gather around and watch.
A student council member personally stepping in, and gambling against an outsider, piqued everyone's curiosity.
Runa picked up the dice cup from the table and smirked. "Since this is your first time playing here, Shun-kun, let's keep the rules simple. You can only bet on Big, Small, or specific triples. As for the odds, everything is set at 1:2."
"Yomozuki-senpai, do you really dislike me that much?" Shunsuke replied, feigning a hurt tone. "Even if I go all-in every round, I'd need to win five times in a row to stand a chance—and that's before the final gamble. That means I'd need to win six rounds straight just to leave this school intact. Isn't this bullying?"
"Relax. I'm a fair and impartial dealer, absolutely neutral. I don't cheat. If the President values you this much, surely you won't fail this test, right? Otherwise, maybe giving up your pinky and escaping this world sooner would be the better choice," Runa said with her usual mischievous grin.
—Fair and impartial? Absolutely neutral?
Shunsuke couldn't help but laugh to himself.
Only a fool would believe the words of anyone running a casino.
In the original story, these so-called "absolutely neutral" members of the Management Committee were notorious for their underhanded tactics.
In this school, no one in a position of power played fair—it was practically their motto.
Of course, in their eyes, it was the fault of those who got deceived. It was akin to the mindset of a certain silver-haired enforcer who believed, "As long as no one finds out, it's not a crime."
But Shunsuke didn't mind.
After all, he had his own cheat. And his cheat was far more powerful.
If they didn't pull out all the stops, how could he make them experience true despair?
"Ha! The more I see you, the more I like you, Shun-kun," Runa teased, continuing to flatter him while exuding an aura of playful malice.
She reached into the drawer of the gambling table, pulling out two additional dice and dropping them into the cup.
"I heard from the President that you're quite the dice expert, Shun-kun. But playing with just three dice would be boring. This time, let's play with five."
The room immediately grew noisy as the students surrounding the table began murmuring in surprise.
Even for someone skilled in dice listening, adding two more dice elevated the challenge exponentially.
Listening to three dice was already a rare skill, but listening to five was on an entirely different level.
The difficulty increased exponentially with each added die.
What made it worse was the school's dice cups—specially modified to muffle sound.
Only the dealer could clearly hear the dice rattling inside.
Add in the noise from the crowd, and it seemed impossible for anyone, let alone an outsider, to pull it off.
This guy was bound to lose!
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