The fourth meeting started at 20.00 in the same room.
I was the first one who reached the room. After I took Koenji to the bed, I walked toward this room.
Class C's girl and Class A came next. Manabe and her friends were talking to Machida intimately. That boy smiled and seemed to be very self-satisfied.
"We are thinking about hanging out this night, but we can't find any boy. Is Machida-Kun free tonight?"
"Wel.."
Honami and Class B, also Yukimura, and Doctor reached the room 5 minutes before the test started.
The last pair was Karuizawa and Ibuki who came into the room at the same time by chance.
Ibuki walked to the corner of the room as always. Karuizawa walked to her regular seat, next to Machida.
Of course, it was captured by Manabe, who probably did it on purpose.
"Hey. It's my seat!" Karuizawa with a grampy face said.
"Hm? Did you buy it or something? If you didn't, find somewhere else." Manabe replied.
"But I want to sit on this seat! Machida-Kun! Said something!"
Machida seemed to be hesitant, and at the same time, he might wonder what he did in his past life to be this lucky.
From his perspective, Karuizawa was prettier than Manabe. But Manabe had two friends with her. Sometimes, it was hard to choose between quality and quantity.
"Machida-Kun! What about we hang out together--privately after this? Or you have agreed to hang out with these girls? If you have done, I will consider I never asked you."
Privately.
Only this word, the virgin could imagine to the venus.
By ignoring his classmate's hatred glance. He said to Manabe.
"Sorry. Manabe. Karuizawa sit here since the last time. Can you move out?"
Manabe skewed and moved out. Karuizawa looked at them as flouting before sitting down beside Machida and started flirting.
"What a simp?" Yukimura mumbled.
I nodded in agreement. I also wondered about Karuizawa's morals. Having affair was against the third rule in 5 Seela. It was a big sin. And I hated it.
The bell rang as a signal of the new meeting's beginning.
"Ok. Today, I guess class A won't join---" Honami started talking.
"Ayanokouji."
Unexpectedly, Machida stood up and walked toward me.
"Are you calling me?"
"Yes. I'm calling you." Machida replied. "I challenge you!"
Was this related to Karuizawa? I wondered if Karuizawa told Machida to shut his mouth. But when I stared at her. She seemed to be confusing.
"Pardon?"
"Last time. You showed your skill in gambit. And it triggered me! The King of Gambling of class A!"
"Excuse me. Why did everyone have a stage name? Manabe is the queen of gambling, now you are a king?"
"It's the tradition of ANHS, sir. Everyone who came to this school, except class E of course, will get the stage name! Mines is Doctor!" Doc said.
"Mines is Horikita's female version. " Yukimura said.
"Mines is the Best girl. I didn't know the meaning though. " Karuizawa said.
"Mines is Honami Best Girl of the House Ichinose, the First of Her Name, the Shonen-lover, Queen of class B, Queen of Friendship and Thighman, Khaleesi of the Earthland, Breakers of Man's heart and Mother of Yaho. " Honami gasped. "Seriously, someone should give me a new name. It's very hard to say."
"Shut up!" Machida screamed. "The thing is I want to play a gambling with you!"
I shook my head.
"I play yesterday because Honami ask me to do. Personally, I don't like Gambling. Lord Buddha said that being the gambler is the way to deterioration."
Machida pursed his lips. "
"Are you a coward?"
"Of course not. I just don't want to play. Don't bother me."
Suddenly, Doc grabbed my shoulder.
"Kiyotaka-Dono. I will give you my point for gambling, sir. Please win this guy."
"What? I told you it isn't about money---"
"Listen, Ayanokouji. I was born and raised in a casino. I know you have a gambler fate. Win this guy and give us money!" Yukimura said.
"I said I don't----"
"I know Sakura's phone number. If you don't play it for us, I will give it to Yamauchi. "
I turned to him shocked.
"Are you blackmailing me?"
"Definitely yes."
"You are the worst. Can you destroy the pure girl's life by letting that pervert bother her!?"
"I can do everything for victory. Ayanokouji."
I grabbed my hand tight. This man was worst than Yamauchi.
"Ok. I will play."
I couldn't let Yamauchi know Sakura for all reasons.
"Another gambling? Hell yeah! I will win this and buy Louise Vitton for Rika-chan!"
Yamai Re---I mean Manabe, stood up and joined our conversation.
"Good grief. " Machida grinned.
"What are we going to play? Poker again?" I asked him.
He shook his head. "Poker seems to be about the risk alone. But the truth is there are many things related, reading others' faces and making a decision. Real gambling is the risk. So we will play this---"
Machida took four dice out of his pockets.
"The rule is, I will roll these four dices. We have to guess the total of these dices. Who wins will get 600 points from everyone else. If there was no one was right, no one would lose anything."
This was a pure risk. No trick. No poker face.
This was the real gambling!
"I guess 14. " Machida said first.
"So I will guess 15. " Manabe said.
I sighed and said the random number.
"4"
Machida grinned.
"Let's gamble. " He said and rolled the dice.
...
As soon as hearing Ayanokouji's answer. Machida knew that Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was nothing but the lucky boy.
His victory on this afternoon was just a fluke.
Machida lied something.
The dices rolling game wasn't just about risk.
It was about possibility too.
Ayanokouji's answer was the least chance result.
For getting 4, he needed all dice showed 1.
The chance was 1 in 1,296.
These times, Ayanokouji wouldn't win at all. Couldn't win with that stupid brain.
Machida's answer wasn't just a random answer. After his research, he found out the most chance result was 14. The chance was 1 in 6.
Manabe was the real gambler, she knew it and answered 15, the second most chance result after he steal 14.
However, the rest was about fate. All thing he knew was Ayanokouji wouldn't win this time.
He couldn't be that lucky!
"Let's gamble. " Machida said and rolled the dice.
...
At the Dragon group's room.
"Are you sure to not join the conversation, Katsuragi-Kun?" Hirata asked.
"Don't mind him. That coward will never climb out of his shell, Kuku. " Ryuen laughed.
But Katsuragi didn't mind them. He crossed his arm and closed his eyes.
The rest of the group had already given up for making Katsuragi join the discussion when his phone rang.
"Hello?" He answered the phone.
"H--Hi! Katsuragi."
"Machida? Why did you call me?"
"W--Well. I have a little problem."
"Answer me probably. When you say a little problem, are you saying it in the same way as saying there are a few hairs on my head?"
"Y-Yes."
"Ok. A big problem, isn't it?"
"I want to borrow you for a few points---"
"Hm? Didn't you have many points left? Since you won everyone in the poker game last week."
"Well. I lost of it. And now, I need to pay a debt."
"What!?"
"Don't be too loud! If Sakayangi knows it, she will give me no mercy!"
"Ok. How much debt do you have?"
"Well. 500,000 points---"
...
Another hour ended and we got nothing but 500,000 points.
"You are my hero, Ayanokouji!" Yukimura yelled while hugging me.
"Now I could buy a set of 'I was captured by the loli witch who makes me be her sex slaves and I needed to cooperate with her to help my milf Imoutou who was hurt by the tsundere demon lord who was my childhood friend!', sir!"
"Is it a light novel?"
"Wow! How do you know, sir?"
How I didn't know?
Machida walked out of the room irritably. He completely forgot Karuizawa.
"Machida-Kun!" She called him but he seemed to not hear.
Karuizawa decided to walk out of the room. Manabe's group followed her immediately.
"Kiyotaka-Dono. My spider-sense whispered something to me, sir. " Doc looked at them with curiosity.
"We should follow them. " Yukimura said.
I nodded in agreement. Therefore, we walked out of the room. I heard from Honami that Chihiro became coma this afternoon. And just woke up at 6.00 p.m. The doctor told her to rest. So I didn't need to worry about her.
When we walked into the corridor, we saw the fire escape door closed. So we went to that door and peeked through the window.
Manabe and her friend were shepherding Karuizawa to the wall. Karuizawa looked around as the wildlife looked at the hunter.
"Why do you take me here?" She asked.
"Don't be stupid. I want to ask you if you are the one who smashes Rika-Chan, right?"
"What? I tell you, it isn't me. I have a business to do, let me go. "
"If you don't admit, I will call Rika-chan to come here now!"
When Manabe took out her phone, Karuizawa's stance suddenly changed.
"Wait!"
"What?"
"I recognize now. It seems to be I smash her once--"
"What a shame! Ok. If you admit, then apologize to Rika-chan now!"
At first, I thought Karuizawa would give up but she still denied it.
"Why do I have to apologize to her? She is the one who clumsy!"
Manabe's face turned purple.
She pushed Karuizawa
"Don't dare to talk trash to Rika-chan!!"
"Hey. Shiho-Chan. This girl is so annoying. If she apologizes to Rika-chan, I think I will forgive her."
Yamashita curled Karuizawa's hair and pushed her to the floor.
"Bullshit. You won't forgive me in the first place---" Karuizawa mumbled.
That triggered Yabu. She smashed Karuizawa who tried to stand up until her face touched the floor.
"Oops. I smash you. Well, since you are the clumsy one, I won't apologize to you. Ok?"
I saw Karuizawa start gasping. She holds her head as it hurt so much.
Manabe looked at her pray and became angrier. When people felt more powerful than someone, their morals would be fade away easily.
"Don't act innocent. Kuzuizawa."
"That's so good. Shiho-Chan! Ku-Zu-Izawa. " Yabu laughed and spotted on Karuizawa.
I could say this was her Karma.
Karuizawa bullied that girl and now she was the one bullied.
However. No matter whether this was her Karma or not. I couldn't let the situation go out like this.
I looked at Yukimura and Doc. They nodded.
Slam!
"Stop! This is the police. Put your weapon down!" Doc kicked the door and came in. His word made our opening less powerful.
"What the---" Manabe turned to us and grinned. "Don't be such a nosy parker! We just deal with Karuizawa about Rika."
"Help me! They hurt me!" Karuizawa called us immediately. She seemed to be disappointed that we were the ones who came.
"Huh? Help? From this gloomy boy?" Yabu looked down at us. "Ridiculous."
"At least, Ayanokouji-Kun can swim faster than Michael Phelps!" Karuizawa shouted.
Oh, someone remembered it.
"Really? Well, he will need his speed when he is thrown into the sea after I kill him. " Manabe turned her target to me. "I won't forgive someone who steals Rika's Louise Vitton from her."
"First. I didn't steal. You lost it because you are too into gambling! As Lord Buddha said, being the gambler is the way to deterioration."
I turned into the camera, "Listen, kid. Gambling never makes anyone rich, except the casino's owner."
"What are you looking at, sir?" Doc asked.
"The fourth wall."
"I can't see it. Maybe it's broken. However---" Manabe looked at me. "I will make sure you will suffer!"
She slapped me but I could dodge.
"Listen. Violent is no need--"
She kicked me but I could dodge.
"Why don't we talk like a civilize people---"
She punched me but I also could dodge.
"Peace. No more war. Hippy. Marijuana---"
She jumped and tried to kick me in the face but I still could dodge.
"Love God, love your neighbor---"
"Ayanokouji. I think you should give up and retreat." Yukimura said softly.
"Why? This girl needs to be calm down---"
I turned to Yukimura and stopped my sentence.
There was a wound all over Yukimura's body. His nose was bleeding. The right eye turned black. His glasses were broken.
"Woh! Who hit you, Yukimura?" I asked.
"Manabe. Every time you dodge her attack, the one who gets it is me!"
Oh, poor Yukimura.
"Shiho-Chan. We should run away now. What if they told the teacher about this?" Yabu asked worriedly.
"Then, we will tell them that this nerdy fell from the stairs. But you are right, we should go out of this place. " Manabu looked at Karuizawa. "I will make you apologize to Rika-chan at all cost!"
After leaving her vengeance word, Manabu and her friends walked out of the fire escape.
"I will take you to hospital. Don't die yet. Okay?" I told Yukimura while Doc walked toward Karuizawa.
"Karuizawa-Dono. How are you?"
"Shut up!"
She shouted and ran out of the fire escape.
I looked following her with confusion. She acted weird today. No, since the first day of the test. She became silent, tried to act modestly, and seemed to be weaker than the time when she faced Horikita on the island.
This wasn't Karuizawa Kei that I knew.
Did I know her that much? I asked myself while Yukimura mumbled. "What a troublesome girl."
...
Midnight, the room was dark.
I looked up to the roof. Today was chaos, it was too much for me to sleep.
Beside me, I heard Koenji's snoring. And heard Yukimura sleeptalked.
"Mom.--Mom. Don't leave me. Don't leave me---"
I looked at him and wonder what was behind his mask.
At first, I thought it was only me who try to hide something.
But then, I met Kushida, Sakura, and Inogashira.
Everyone tried to hide something.
Maybe this was the nature of humans. They tried to hide something.
Karuizawa probably was the same.
In the silent room. I saw a figure standing up from his bed.
It was Hirata.
Hirata walked to Yukimura's bed and did something for a while.
Then, he turned to me and put something at my bedhead.
I think he would go back to his bed, but he went out of the room instead.
I decided to ignore him and tried to sleep. But a few moments later, I was impelled to urinate.
There was no curfew for students on this cruise. But the boys could go to the girls' area after midnight.
I stood up and decided to grab the thing that Hirata put on my bed too. I was too sleepy to read it though.
After going to the toilet at the end of the corridor, I headed back to my room.
But when I passed the stair, I heard the familiar voice from the second floor.
"Sorry for making you wait. Hirata-Kun."
It was Karuizawa's voice.
I stopped my footstep and turned to the stair.
My curios forced me to walk down the stair slowly.
Then, I saw Hirata and Karuizawa sitting on the couch in the rest area on the second floor.
It was in the middle of the long hallway. It was easy to see, but if someone walked that way, Hirata and Karuizawa would see them immediately.
Luckily for me that the light bulb at the stairs was broken. So I could hide in the shadow.
"Did you hear about me and Manabe from class C?" Karuizawa started the conversation as always.
"Yes, I hear but---"
"So can you deal with them? Make sure they won't hurt me anymore!"
"If you are asking me to hurt Manabe-San's group, I'm afraid I can't."
Karuizawa frowned. "You denied protecting your girlfriend?"
"Although we pretending to be a couple, it doesn't mean I will hurt anyone for you. Karuizawa-San. Violence is against the rule."
Although we pretending to be a couple
It was around a second when my brain responded to that truth and became fully awake.
Karuizawa wasn't dating Hirata?
My eyes turned to the note that Hirata put on my bed.
It said;
Thank you for helping me -Nakano K.