Seeing Hanatemari Kazura vigorously shaking her head behind Saotome Meari, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka sighed helplessly with his arms crossed: "You're overthinking it. I was just asking her why she brought you here, after all, she was the one who lost the gamble, not you, right?"
Saotome Meari was speechless by Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's words. After a moment of silence, she suddenly said, "Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, can I talk to you alone?"
What she was about to say wasn't really appropriate to discuss in front of Hanatemari Kazura; it would be best to talk to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka privately.
"...Are you sure?"
"Yes." Saotome Meari nodded very seriously.
"Alright then." Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said to Hanatemari Kazura, "You stay in the living room for a while. I'll go to the bedroom to talk with Saotome Meari."
Hanatemari Kazura nodded obediently and sat on the sofa. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka led Saotome Meari into the room, had Saotome Meari sit on the bed in the room, while he sat on a chair, facing her squarely.
At the same time yesterday, Hanatemari Kazura was sitting on the bed just like this.
The two looked at each other, wide-eyed, neither speaking first.
It was Ayanokoji Kiyotaka who spoke first.
"Speak, what do you want from me?"
"Regarding Hanatemari Kazura, I still hope you can consider it…" Saotome Meari started with this.
As expected...
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka deliberately straightened his face: "Didn't I make it very clear at noon today? Since you put your body on the gambling table, you must be prepared for failure. Don't expect your opponent to be kind enough to spare you."
Saotome Meari nodded in silence: "...I know. If I were the one who lost, I would willingly accept my fate and honor the bet. But Hanatemari Kazura is different. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, she participated in this gamble because of me. I have a responsibility to her."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka crossed his arms, looking at her playfully: "Then, in your opinion, how do you want to handle it? Let me tell you beforehand, I'm not short on money."
Saotome Meari took a deep breath: "I'm ready. I'm willing to replace Hanatemari Kazura."
Upon hearing Saotome Meari say this, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka didn't feel happy; instead, he felt very displeased.
Was her friendship with Hanatemari Kazura so deep that she was willing to exchange herself for her?
It was fortunate that Hanatemari Kazura lost to him. If she had lost to someone else, would she still do this?
Did she not know how many female characters in anime were taken advantage of by blonde men because of their deep sisterly bond!
"Saotome Meari, do you know what you're saying?"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka tried to suppress his anger, saying in a low voice: "One moment you want to put it on the gambling table, the next you want to exchange with someone else. What exactly do you consider your body to be!?"
...Ayanokoji Kiyotaka is angry?
Saotome Meari blinked and froze. She had thought that when she said that, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka might happily accept or reluctantly refuse, but what she didn't expect was that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka actually got angry for her.
"I didn't mean that! I only said it because it's you! If it were anyone else, I definitely wouldn't care!"
In her haste, Saotome Meari blurted out something akin to a confession.
"You're…"
Before Ayanokoji Kiyotaka could finish speaking, Saotome Meari quickly explained, blushing.
"Don't misunderstand, I'm not confessing! What I mean is because you're my friend, and our relationship is so good. If I lost to you, I could accept it. After all, giving my body to you is better than giving it to other strangers, right…?"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was speechless, yet he also felt a little secretly pleased.
It seemed that Saotome Meari also had special feelings for him, but she was too embarrassed to say it out loud.
Is this person a tsundere?
Forget it… Since she doesn't want to say it directly, let's just assume that for now.
Although Ayanokoji had already confirmed Saotome's current feelings, if he confessed at this moment and asked Saotome to be his girlfriend, the person in the living room would definitely "backstab" him without hesitation.
Also, Ayanokoji thought of Mikura, and Ikishima Midari... He didn't want to give up the entire pond for one fish yet.
Let this fry mature a bit more before catching it.
...As for Hanatemari? Ayanokoji currently had no intention of developing anything with her; their relationship was merely a pure physical transaction.
Speaking of Hanatemari... Ayanakoji suddenly remembered how she had flared up at him last night.
She had told him then that Saotome came to this gambling event because of him. What was that about?
Saotome looked at Ayanokoji anxiously—she didn't want him to misunderstand, yet she also hoped he would misunderstand; her heart was utterly conflicted.
At this moment, she saw Ayanokoji Kiyotaka ponder for a moment, then suddenly ask her a question with a serious expression.
"Saotome, I have a question for you. Are you so short on money that you absolutely have to participate in this kind of gambling?
I am the casino boss. If you lose money in the casino, you can just ask me for it back. As long as you can earn the money back, it's not a problem. You don't need to participate in this gambling, and even less do you need to bet your body, right?"
..." Saotome Meari actually didn't want to talk about this. She originally wanted to gloss over it, but seeing Ayanokoji's serious gaze, she decided to tell the truth.
"It's my fault. Although the more you play the Three-Color Dice game, the more you win, I overlooked one thing: our principal is limited."
"We ran into the Student Council Accountant, Mibuomi Aoi. He used the Martin Gale Strategy in the game and won one million from our casino. We had no more gambling funds, and there was nothing we could do, so we participated in this competition at his introduction..."
The Martin Gale Strategy is a very common strategy in gambling. This method became widely known in Europe not long after it originated in France in the eighteenth century. Theoretically, this strategy should never lose money.
It starts with a one-unit bet, doubles the bet after each loss, and returns to a one-unit bet after any win.
Simply put, it means betting one million in the first round, two million in the second, four million in the third. Each bet is double the previous one. As long as you gamble this way, you will always win back all previous losses the next time you win.
The advantages of this betting method are obvious, and its disadvantages are also clear—that is, when you multiply your gambling funds, the bet size increases very quickly, and you might go bankrupt before you win a bet.
So this bet is only suitable for gamblers with strong financial backing.
To avoid being trapped by this strategy, basically all casinos worldwide have limits on the maximum bet.
Didn't Saotome Meari and her friends think of this?
This strategy is not complicated; anyone with a bit of brains can think of it.
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