The Christmas party—this seemingly glamorous event—was, in truth, a gathering brimming with desire and scheming.
King's Game!
A game played with disposable chopsticks marked with 『King』 and various 『numbers』. The 『King』 issues commands to the specified 『number』!
For example, number 4 does this and that to number 1...
It subtly stirs people's hearts and is frequently played at mixers—a thoroughly dark game!
"The king is—who—death?!"
Dekomori Sanae shook the pre-prepared drawing box, mixing up the sticks inside for everyone to draw their identity.
"It's me—!!" Fujiwara Chika waved the chopstick symbolizing the king.
Everyone was now pondering how to figure out Diego's number.
The fun of King's Game lies in its uncertainty.
If you want to get intimate with the person you like, you just have to become king and issue a command like "XX and the king kiss"—then it can pass as an innocent, random number call, letting you do exactly what you want in a perfectly legitimate way.
Therefore, information is life! Only those who hold the information can stand undefeated!
The corner of Fujiwara Chika's mouth curved up slightly...
Just as planned...!
Great. I successfully picked the king based on the different patterns on the sticks, and I also managed to sit right next to Diego-kun. Now I just need to use the corner of my eye to catch a glimpse of his number!
So... what kind of naughty thing should I order Diego-kun to do...
A kiss? A wall-pin? All sorts of plays?
No, no, no—I still don't have Diego-kun's contact info. Get that first; the rest can wait until the second round!
I aim!
"Since I joined midway, I'm only familiar with my classmates and everyone else here is basically a stranger." Fujiwara Chika grinned broadly, making what seemed like a casual and simple request. "So my command is: number 2 exchanges contact info with me!"
"Who's number 2?"
"Ko no Dio da!"
Diego raised his hand, opened his phone, and added Fujiwara Chika's contact.
Second round...
"The king is—who—death?!"
"Ahh, my luck is so good—it's me again—" Fujiwara Chika raised the king stick once more, scratched the back of her head, and stuck out her tongue. "This time I'll give a slightly more embarrassing command!"
"Number 7 wall-pins the person to their left, then pinches her chin, says in a forceful tone: 'Woman, I will devour you...', opens their mouth, uses their little fangs to bite her neck, and then says 'Become mine...'"
Everyone was stunned. Isn't this an ultra-embarrassing command?!
Drip...
"Fujiwara-san, you're bleeding from your nose! Quick, wipe it with a tissue!"
Although Fujiwara Chika yearned for ultra-advanced romance, she had been sheltered too well and had zero real experience. Her imagination ran wild, but when it came to actual execution, she crumbled.
"I know, I know I'm bleeding..." Fujiwara Chika took the tissue, wiped her nose, and asked excitedly, "Who is it? Who's number 7?"
"..." Diego narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Fujiwara Chika with an extremely dangerous gaze. "Heh heh, it's still this Dio. Once is enough, but twice?"
"Who's to Diego-kun's left?" Fujiwara Chika continued her grand acting performance, looking around innocently with a pure face until her body jolted. She touched her own head. "Oh dear, how careless of me... I ended up punishing myself."
Under everyone else's envious stares, Diego completed Fujiwara Chika's request with a thoroughly gloomy face.
Fujiwara Chika...
Well done...
To dare cheat and scheme against this Dio...
Don't forget the environment Diego grew up in—he once roamed the black market, taking commissions to earn what he needed.
And the places like that were never short on bars and casinos. Fujiwara Chika showing off her little tricks in front of Diego was like Belial challenging Cero—two hundred thousand years too early!
However, a crisis is also an opportunity.
This is perfect. This Dio can use the tampering you did to get some answers I want to know. But as the price for breaking the game rules, some appropriate punishment is absolutely necessary.
Third round...
Fujiwara Chika decided to hold off for the next two rounds. If she got caught cheating now, it would be bad.
"Shake shake shake~ death"
Everyone drew again. Soon only one number stick and one king stick remained in the box.
Just as Fujiwara Chika reached for the number stick, Diego got there first and took it, leaving only the king stick in the box.
Oh no... oh no!
How—how is it possible for someone to draw king three times in a row?!
Fujiwara Chika broke out in cold sweat. Trembling, she took the king stick and cautiously glanced at Diego.
Diego was smiling and chatting with the others as if he hadn't noticed anything unusual. Fujiwara Chika let out a breath of relief. Since he didn't notice, she could still play it off as insane luck. But next time—absolutely, positively—no more king.
"The king is—who—death?!"
"Uh... looks like it's still me..." Fujiwara Chika lowered her head, blushing as she raised the king stick once again.
"!?"
"No way, three kings in a row?! Fujiwara-san's luck is insane!"
"It's basically cheating at this point!"
These shocked voices reached Fujiwara Chika's ears. Her two index fingers kept tapping nervously; her legs fidgeted, rubbing up and down uncomfortably.
"Hahaha! No wonder I felt like today was going to be my big lucky day. Right from the start, three king draws in a row—super Lucky!" Fujiwara Chika covered her face, laughing so hard she could barely breathe. "This is basically the same as cheating~~~"
"Heh heh heh heh heh..."
"Oh my, such enviable luck for Fujiwara. In comparison, this Dio has terrible luck—punished every single time. Sigh~" Diego gave a half-smile, watching Fujiwara Chika's performance with amusement. "Go on, announce your command, King~"
Gulp...
Fujiwara Chika's throat moved as she swallowed.
Just be careful not to let Dio get picked again.
"Then... number 4 gives..."
"Wait." Diego raised his hand to interrupt, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "Since my luck is so abysmal, I request to swap sticks with someone else before the command starts. That's allowed, right, host~?"
"Of course, death!" Dekomori Sanae nodded in approval.
"Hori, swap with me."
"Sure."
Diego successfully swapped the number 4 stick from Hori's hand into his own. Then, in a slightly teasing tone, he spoke softly: "All set. What does number 4 do to which number?"
It's over... Diego-kun figured it out...
Don't look at me, I want to die...
Diego was still smiling brightly, but Fujiwara Chika felt her heart turn ice-cold. Danger level: maximum.
Her original mindset had been: as long as you don't get caught cheating, it's not cheating.
In other words, this woman hadn't prepared herself at all for the possibility of getting busted!
Faced with the current situation, she completely panicked. She could already imagine tomorrow's headline in the news club, her public execution across all of Shuchiin, her status dropping below that of a dog, getting rotten eggs and cabbages thrown at her every time she passed by.
This state wasn't "I know I did wrong"—it was "I know I'm going to die."
"Nu-number 4 gives... number 6 a shoulder massage..."
"Oho, I'm number 4. Once is enough, twice is fine, right... heh heh..." Diego picked up the tea on the table and took a sip. His eyes gleamed with calculation. Then he clapped and laughed. "Hahaha... yeah, it's possible to get the same thing three times in a row..."
"Number 6 is me." Hayasaka Ai glanced at the two who were putting on an Oscar-worthy performance and raised her stick.
"Yup, yup..." Diego stood up, went behind Hayasaka Ai, and began massaging her shoulders. The fatigue quickly melted away. "Is the pressure okay?"
"Very comfortable."
Seeing Diego voluntarily give her an out, Fujiwara Chika also covered the back of her head and laughed.
But anyone who looked closely could see how forced her smile was—sweat was already beading nonstop on her forehead.
"Haha... hahaha... you're... you're right... once leads to twice, right..."
"Hahahahahahahahaha!"
"Heh heh heh heh hahahahahaha!"
The two looked at each other and laughed—masters of reading people, masters of social maneuvering.
Fourth round...
From the day she was born until now, Fujiwara Chika had never felt more humiliated. If she weren't being held in place, she would have bolted long ago.
"The king is—who—death?!"
"The king is ko no Dio da!" Diego raised the king stick, his eyes glinting. "Now it's this Dio's turn!"
"Congratulations on turning your luck around..."
clap clap clap...
Applause even broke out around them. A group of people wiped away tears as if watching a child finally grow up.
"Ahem, the king shall issue a command. Then... number 4 will serve as the king's chair for one round and have 'Loser' written on their forehead..."
After Diego spoke, Fujiwara Chika looked at the stick in her hand, silently walked over, and lay down.
Diego-kun still didn't let me off... wuwuwu...
I made such thorough preparations and got exposed so quickly... so embarrassing...
I want to die...
The master cheater Fujiwara cried bitterly.
Pfft...
"These sticks all have slightly different textures. They even look especially like numbers. Fujiwara Chika, care to explain why?" Diego contentedly wrote the three characters for "Loser," then leaned close to Fujiwara Chika's ear and whispered, "Don't let it happen again. The game is only fun when the rules are followed."
Then Diego sat on Fujiwara Chika's upturned back, crossed his legs, and successfully took revenge on this noisy madwoman.
Haa... haa... Diego-kun is sitting on me... what a... what a special feeling...
Well... maybe it wasn't revenge after all. What was supposed to be punishment turned into a reward.
In the subsequent games, Diego used the tampering to keep cheating, gradually finding out what gift everyone wanted.
Cheating his way to mastery, cheating his way to pro level—Fujiwara Chika watched in stunned silence.
Fujiwara Chika: Didn't you say following the rules is what makes the game most fun?
Diego: One thing at a time. If this Dio doesn't follow the rules, that's a different story. The strong always have privileges—and this Dio is clearly the strong one.
"What It Means to Maliciously Exploit Game Bugs" "Is Everyone Really Starting from the Same Point?" "I Don't Know, I Thought That Was Part of the Rules" "Take It Up with Fujiwara Chika" "I'm Just a Cute Little Dinosaur, Why Are You Picking on a Dinosaur?" "We're All Just Trying Hard to Achieve Our Goals"
Ehe!
ᕙ(☆＞ڡ O)
(Later, for some reason, Fujiwara Chika suddenly knelt before Diego and shouted: Coach, I want to learn how to cheat!)
...
The next day, at Shuchiin...
"Dio, why do you have such heavy dark circles?" Hori was startled.
"Don't ask. Last night someone—I don't know who—wished for a pure-hearted boy. I fought a bloody battle all night and nearly got dragged away by Santa Claus! Good thing I came out on top!" Diego yawned and carelessly scratched his messy hair.
Hori suddenly remembered something and excitedly told him about her morning. "Oh right, Dio—when I woke up today, there was a Christmas present by my pillow. Inside was my favorite 18+ ultra-gory, ultra-bizarre horror movie!"
"Did Dio receive a present?"
"I don't get any..."
Diego replied with a light chuckle.
After all, I'm a bad kid...
[Legend has it that Santa Claus secretly places Christmas gifts by the pillows or in the stockings of good children while they sleep.]
[wryyyyyyyy! And everyone is a good child————————————from Diego, who hates owing favors and was forced to cosplay as Santa Claus]