At the same time, in the Cooking Room.
Yamato Inaho stepped back two paces, standing to the left of Ibuki Jotaro. From this position, even standing, she couldn't see the dice roll that Ayanokoji was making through the curtain.
Huangquan Runa saw that the gambling was about to begin, reluctantly stuffed one last snack into her mouth, placed the remaining snacks on the chair, and then stood beside Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, her expression becoming serious.
When acting as a Dealer, Huangquan Runa was very conscientious.
Seeing that her "superior" was also ready, Yamato Inaho nodded slightly and softly announced: "Since both parties are ready, then… the gamble officially begins now!"
After Yamato Inaho called out the start, Ayanokoji and Ibuki Jotaro did not immediately begin to roll. Instead, they exchanged glances, both wanting the other to make the first move.
"Ibuki, why aren't you rolling yet?" Ayanokoji teased, fiddling with the dice: "You actively suggested playing this game, shouldn't you be very confident?"
"I just think that Ayanokoji, since you are the Dealer, it's only right and proper that you go first." Ibuki Jotaro replied with a calm expression.
Earlier, when discussing the "stakes," Ibuki Jotaro didn't want to take advantage of Ayanokoji at all, preferring to mortgage the Kendo Club, valued at thirty million Japanese yen, to Ayanokoji.
But now that the game had begun, he shed his "honest" side and focused on gambling, confronting Ayanokoji head-on, unwilling to let Ayanokoji gain any advantage.
The first person to roll, their rolling technique, and the subtle changes in their expression when seeing the dice roll would be completely observed by the opponent. In this way, the person who rolls second would gain a slight initiative.
Although this slight initiative wasn't very useful, neither of them wanted to give way. The two Dealers knew this was also a kind of confrontation, and at this moment, they did not disturb the two.
There was no point in holding out, and in the end, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka gave in a step.
"Alright, if you want me to roll first, then I will."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka tossed the dice in his hand a few times, then casually threw them onto the table, without deliberately using any technique, just letting the dice roll on the table.
When the dice stopped, the face showing on top was a 4.
First throw, Ayanokoji scores one point.
"Ibuki, it's your turn." Ayanokoji crossed his arms, his gaze fixed on him, not only observing his movements but also exerting pressure with his eyes.
Many people are the type who perform well normally but falter at critical moments, but Ibuki Jotaro does not seem to be such a person.
Ibuki Jotaro ignored Ayanokoji's gaze. When he threw, he was not as casual as Ayanokoji. Instead, he held the Extreme Dice in his palm, staring at the Extreme Dice in his hand with a solemn expression. After a moment of Brewing, his fingers moved, and he suddenly exerted a force, throwing the Extreme Dice out.
Separated by the curtain made of Yamato Inaho's jacket and sword stand, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka could not see the number he threw, so he could only continue to project his gaze onto his face.
Unfortunately, Ibuki Jotaro's face was calm, and no emotion of disappointment or joy could be seen from his facial expression; only the seriousness with which he treated this gambling could be felt.
This made Ayanokoji Kiyotaka feel disappointed and secretly raise his guard. It seemed that he was not an easy opponent to deal with...
As long as the system has a guarantee, Ayanokoji can sit in an armchair and win the game no matter how absurd his operations are—many people might think so.
It is indeed true, and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka also believes this.
The system's rules are absolute; as long as he does not actively choose to surrender, he will definitely win under the guarantee mechanism.
But what is the cost?
When he chooses to "mess around," or when Ayanokoji cannot win against his opponent with "hard power."
In order for him to win, the system might resort to unscrupulous means to harm his opponent, forcing the other party to abandon the game to achieve the goal of "winning."
The scene of Ikishima Midari being stabbed by a dagger, her hand bleeding uncontrollably, her entire arm stained with blood, but still wearing a drunk smile on her face, lingered in Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's memory, leaving him with lingering fear.
It's like the Holy Grail polluted by "black mud" in "Fate"; it can help the wish-maker achieve their goal, but the way it achieves the goal is not what you want to see.
Indeed, even if he "lays flat," he still wins the game, but the final result is likely that his opponent is forced to withdraw from the competition due to some "force majeure."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka once speculated on the system's operating mode.
It might be a tool from a "higher dimension" without personal will. In its eyes, it can see countless different future branches.
It is like Doctor Strange with the Time Stone, able to observe these futures simultaneously and choose a "sure-win" future for Ayanokoji.
It can "interfere" with reality, but the reality it can interfere with must be "reality" that has not been observed by anyone.
This sentence might be a bit convoluted, but it is not difficult to understand in practice.
Simply put, the system can only change undetermined reality, not established facts.
For example, if a Dealer randomly draws a card from the deck, and no one knows what the card is, then the system can replace this card with the hand Ayanokoji wants.
But if the Dealer tampered with this card and knew its value beforehand, the system would not be able to change the card's value because it had already been "observed" and was an established fact.
When performing some manual operations, relying entirely on skill rather than luck, like the "quick knife finger poke" type of gambling, the system has little influence, so it will consider "off-board moves."
However, in gambling games that rely purely on luck, such as drawing cards or throwing Extreme Dice, every unopened poker card and every unthrown Extreme Dice is like Schrödinger's cat in a blind box, possessing a quantum superposition with different possibilities.
...Of course, the above is just Ayanokoji's guess, and he cannot be sure if the system's operating mode is really like this.
But Ayanokoji cannot gamble; he cannot bear the consequences of mistakes.
What if, when he said he wanted to arm wrestle Meari to see who had more strength, he activated the system's guarantee mechanism, and he deliberately didn't exert force, allowing Meari to easily win against him?
Then... in order for Ayanokoji to win, would Meari suddenly die of a myocardial infarction? Or be shot through the heart by a sniper bullet from who knows where?
Ayanokoji cannot gamble, nor does he dare to gamble.
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