In the final round, Shimotsuki Okuri did not score any points for Yacht.
Even if she had gotten four 6s, in this round, she could only fill the only empty "Yacht" slot, scoring 0 points.
She had a vague premonition of uneasiness before, feeling that she would lose, and she never expected that this uneasiness would actually be confirmed.
She was filled with remorse. She had only scored 12 points in the "Sixes" category. If she had filled the "Sixes" score into the "Yacht" category, she would have absolutely won with a score far exceeding Meari's.
Even if it wasn't the "Sixes" category, any category would do. If she had just two more points, she would have won.
She had always felt that her advantage was great, that victory was already in her grasp, which was why she left "Yacht" for last. If she had been a little more cautious, like Meari, and actively given up on that elusive "50 points," instead opting to seize more effective points, with her luck in this game, she absolutely would not have lost.
But... there are no if-onlys.
Meari gave up on "Yacht" and "Large Straight," but successfully made an extreme comeback with bonus points. Meari's rational abandonment and desperate gamble led her to victory.
She lost to Meari.
It was only by one point, but a loss is a loss.
"...I lost," Shimotsuki Okuri said softly after a moment of silence.
This comeback was truly too unexpected, even Meari herself hadn't anticipated being able to achieve it. After the dust settled, she was stunned for a long while, only snapping out of it after Shimotsuki Okuri admitted her defeat.
Meari puffed out her chest and snorted, "Shimotsuki Okuri, go back and tell Mibuomi Aoi to never bother us again. That money is ours now!"
Meari had always thought that Mibuomi Aoi was pestering Ayanokouji Kiyohira because of this money, and now she finally felt triumphant.
"Meari, you're amazing!" Hanatemari Tsuzura couldn't help but cheer, excitedly embracing Meari.
She had watched the entire process from the side and truly hadn't expected Meari to be able to turn the tide in such a situation.
This match could truly be called a "Battle of the Lucky Emperors." Both Meari and Shimotsuki's luck was off the charts, and neither of them faltered at crucial moments.
If Meari had rolled one less "4," she would have been completely out. And Shimotsuki Okuri was even luckier, dominating Meari throughout the entire game.
Before the result came out, she had been holding her breath for Meari, fearing that Shimotsuki Okuri would roll one last six, making the plot reverse again and again.
"Hehehe…" Meari chuckled triumphantly.
She was very happy now. Besides the sense of accomplishment from turning the tide against the odds, she also let out a long sigh of relief, and the uneasiness in her heart completely dissipated.
What she had lost before was finally won back!
"Oh, right, Shimotsuki Okuri, don't forget, you lost this gamble, so give me 80 million yen!"
Meari held out her hand to her.
Of course, there couldn't be no penalty for losing a gamble. Meari's wager was 80 million, so Shimotsuki Okuri naturally had to wager 80 million as well.
To win 80 million in one gamble, Meari would never have dared to imagine such a thing before.
"...I don't have any money," Shimotsuki Okuri replied in a low voice.
She had never considered the possibility of losing, and now even she was a bit at a loss.
80 million, there was no way she could come up with that much money.
Although she was good at gambling, she didn't gamble very often, and her savings were at most five million.
When she came this time, she had confidently told Mibuomi Aoi that she would complete the task, and she hadn't taken any money from him.
"No money? No money and you still gamble with me?"
Meari sneered, "Since you don't have money, go back and tell Mibuomi Aoi to pay for you! Remember to have him bring it within three days, otherwise, we'll inform the Student Council and have them personally intervene!"
At Private Hyakkaou Academy, any gamble agreed upon by both parties in plain sight would be supervised and enforced by the Student Council, compelling the loser to pay the wager.
Not to mention Mibuomi Aoi, even the Student Council President would be no exception if she lost.
This rule supersedes all other rules; even the "Livestock System" and "Tribute System" have to step aside.
Meari spoke with full confidence.
Shimotsuki Okuri's face turned pale. She stood up, said nothing, and turned to leave.
"This guy is really rude, didn't even say a word of plea. If she had, I might have given her a few more days…" Meari pouted.
"After all, you made an extreme comeback against her, so she must not be feeling well, right?"
Hanatemari Tsuzura clasped her hands over her chest, watching Shimotsuki Okuri leave with faltering steps, and said with some concern, "Meari, that's 80 million. Will Mibuomi Aoi really pay for her? If he's unwilling, won't she be burdened with such a huge debt herself?"
Although Hanatemari Tsuzura didn't interact much with Shimotsuki Okuri, only exchanging nods, they were still classmates, and she couldn't help but feel some sympathy for her.
Meari snorted lightly, "Who knows? Even if she ends up burdened with 80 million in debt, it's her own fault! Since she sat at the gambling table, she should be prepared to bear that money. If I hadn't won, I would be the one burdened with that debt."
Meari didn't have that much extra sympathy.
This guy was the one who came looking for trouble first. It was already good that she didn't kick her while she was down. She still wanted her to sympathize with her?
Dream on!
If Mibuomi Aoi didn't help her pay this debt, it might even be a good thing, allowing her to see Mibuomi Aoi's true character more quickly.
At most, she would give her a few more days then.
Anyway, with Meari's gambling skills, if she were to gamble, she would surely earn the money back quickly, so Meari wasn't too worried.
"Meari, you won beautifully." Ruricho Nadeshiko took her hands off the piano keys and praised her.
Although she had always been unconvinced by Meari, she was still happy for her winning this gamble.
"I didn't expect you to praise me; that's really rare." Meari was in a good mood and asked with a smile, "How about it, do you want to play a round of Liar's Dice with me? Maybe you can win against me too?"
"I will gamble with you, but not now."
In gambling, there's a concept of "luck." Once someone has a winning streak, their chances of continuing to win are very high, with momentum like a rainbow.
If her winning streak is broken, she might never recover and won't be able to win another hand.
There's no scientific basis for this, but it often happens in reality.
Meari's momentum was currently strong, and Ruricho Nadeshiko didn't want to challenge her bad luck.
Meari snorted twice proudly, not minding, and changed the subject, asking, "Speaking of which… where did Ayanokoji go? When will he be back?!"
Meari was already eager to take credit.
"What's wrong? Are you done here?" As he spoke, Ayanokoji pushed the door open: "I saw Shimotsuki Okuri leave. I asked her if she won, but she didn't answer."
"Ayanokoji, I won!" Meari excitedly went to Ayanokoji to share the good news.
"Well done! Thanks to you, we protected this money." Ayanokoji praised her with a smile.
Meari smiled happily: "By the way, this time I won eighty million from Shimotsuki Okuri! How do you want to deal with this money?"
After all, she used Ayanokoji's money as stakes to sit at the casino table, so Ayanokoji rightfully had the right to distribute the money.
Ayanokoji thought for a moment and said with a smile, "This money was won by you, so as a reward, I'll give you half of it."
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