♡ Gamblers to lovers♡ (Mary Saotome x reader)

Chapter 11

This time, the game was held in your classroom. At that point, that classroom felt like your house, since everyone treated you with respect. It was, however, a boring place for you. A place where everything was predictable: no surprises at all, and no emotions to feel. But Yumeko made it different. Not in a good way, and not in a bad way either. It was just different, because you knew what Yumeko was able to do. Specifically in that game: Vote Rock-Paper-Scissors. Even if you weren't part of the game the last time she played it, you already witnessed what she could do, and you knew one thing. You couldn't allow yourself to get intimidated by her.

«Ignore her smile —you said to yourself —. Ignore every trick she could have on her sleeve. Everything can be a trap».

—Do I even need to explain the rules —you said in a rude tone.

—There's no need for that. If you want to save time, let's get directly into the game.

She was grinning again. That was something you wanted to avoid at all cost. From now on, every facial expression from Yumeko would be irrelevant for you. In the end, all that matters is the expression she wears on her face when the game is over, and you were going to put all your effort into making it an expression of sadness.

—In that case —you said —, how much will we bet on this game?

—Two chips.

Just like in Mary's game, the players started with 120 chips available. But you didn't deem that as something important. You had your reasons.
The first round was quiet for both of you. Even if Yumeko won it, you weren't worried at all. Nor was she.

—Sorry —Yumeko said, trying to sound silly on purpose —. I didn't intend to win this round!

You didn't answer. You didn't even think about a possible reply. That was your mindset, your strategy to avoid getting corrupted by Yumeko's insanity.

—(Y/N), you know you can talk too, right? Just like you did before this game!

And you didn't talk. It wasn't necessary nor mandatory, after all.

—Let's go with twenty chips this time —you exclaimed slowly.

—Fine, I can go with that.

And thus the second round was played. And it was another defeat for you. An unrelenting defeat, since both of you played with the same assertiveness. She had a rock card, and you had paper. The whole crowd started feeling a deep surprise.

—(Y/N) losing twice in the same game? That's impossible!

That's something you had to ignore too. Of course they would talk about you. And if you lost the game as a whole, they'd start second-guessing you all over the school. Your last name was known in every corner, there was no way to avoid it. The only way to do it is by beating Yumeko.

—Let's go with one hundred chips now —you said.

—How so? If you don't have that many chips! —Yumeko kept smiling.

—What about ninety-eight?

—That's fine.

You didn't want to admit it, but you felt nervous. You were afraid. Afraid because you knew it was pure luck, and afraid because you thought that you wouldn't be able to look at Mary properly if you lost. Maybe that was the most important thing, your motivation for winning this time.
You showed your card, Yumeko showed hers. And you lost. You lost that game, but not the game. There was something else in your mind.
Yumeko probably said something after that. If she did, you don't remember it. She was probably teasing you for losing three times in a row. But does that really matter?

—Can I get some additional chips? —you said.

—Of course! It would be hypocritical of me if I didn't let you do that.

—And... —you said nervously —. Could I write my bet instead of saying it?

—Well, I guess I have no problem with that.

That was your hidden strategy. You took a bunch of chips so quickly that Yumeko couldn't know how many of them you catched. And then you wrote two on a paper sheet. A two around a pentagon.

—This is my bet —you assured Yumeko. 

—I see. Let's play!

You took a card with nervousness. You had two rock cards and a scissors one. You went with rock. You lifted your card slowly, until you saw Yumeko's card. Scissors.

—What a shame you went with such a small bet! —she said.

—A small bet? What about the pentagon?

—What? What does that mean?

You laughed.

—Yes, my original number was two. But here's the thing, it's around a pentagon. When a two is around a triangle, it means two to the power of two, right? When a two is around a square, it's like having a two around three triangles. Sixteen. I'll let you do the logic about the pentagon.

Yumeko finally opened her eyes.