29. Hikigaya Challenges the Traditional Culture Research Society
What does it feel like to know that a nightmare from the past is right beside you?
Fear? Hesitation?
No—Hikigaya felt an unprecedented sense of relaxation and joy. He was growing increasingly fond of the system at Hyakkaou Private Academy, and by extension, his favorability toward Student Council President Momobami Kirari was rising rapidly.
So much so, that stingy Hikigaya, despite never having even met Momobami Kirari, secretly decided to owe her a favor.
Such a perfect system of gambling and the livestock hierarchy had dragged Mibuomi Aoi—the lofty embodiment of justice—into the mud, putting him on the same level as someone like Hikigaya, a bottom-feeder.
"I'm really looking forward to the expression on your face when we meet again..."
Expressionless, Hikigaya packed up his schoolbag, then glanced with slight confusion at Jabami Yumeko's seat.
The two of them had been going to the bus stop together after school for the past few days. Suddenly losing that companionship today left him feeling a little out of sorts.
"Maybe someone at the hospital needs her care," Hikigaya speculated.
He needed to hurry back; the weather forecast said there'd be a thunderstorm tonight.
Just then, he heard the sound of hurried footsteps from the hallway. The pace and rhythm were unfamiliar, and it was obvious they were heading straight toward the Class 1-A classroom.
"Who is it? At this time of day after school?"
Hikigaya looked toward the classroom door, puzzled.
Sumeragi Itsuki slid the door open with a bang, gasping for breath. She wiped the sweat from her forehead, and when she saw Hikigaya still inside, she called out urgently:
"Hikigaya-kun, something's wrong! Jabami-san lost a gamble to Nishinotouin Yuriko from the Traditional Culture Research Society!"
Hikigaya's pupils shrank. His usual dead fish eyes froze for a brief moment—then quickly returned to normal.
"What happened?"
Though he'd constantly warned himself not to get involved with women too much—fame, money, power, lust (with lust ranked last)—and that women would only become burdens on his path to victory, after spending so many days together… even raising a cat would foster attachment.
Humans are not emotionless grass or trees—who can be without feeling?
And Jabami Yumeko could be considered his only ally in this academy, besides Juraku-senpai.
So when he heard something had happened to her, Hikigaya's heart inevitably stirred.
"After you left this afternoon, I wanted to talk to you. When I got to Class 1-A, I saw Nishinotouin-senpai taking Jabami-san to the Traditional Culture Research Society."
"A-and then… when I went over after class, I found out Jabami-san had already lost to Nishinotouin-senpai!"
Sumeragi Itsuki spoke rapidly, telling Hikigaya everything she had seen.
It was that very afternoon that she had formally received the "Dismissal Notice Regarding Sumeragi Itsuki," delivered personally by Manyuda Kaede. That was when she made up her mind to fully side with Hikigaya Hachiman and Jabami Yumeko.
"Take me there now."
Hikigaya gave a calm order. He walked over to Jabami's desk, looked down, and noticed she hadn't taken her thermos with her. Without thinking, he picked it up.
He decided to help Jabami resolve this problem first—then they could walk to the bus stop together.
.
.
.
"Halt."
At the front door of the Traditional Culture Research Society, two girls wearing "Stray Cat" name tags stretched out their arms, blocking Hikigaya and Sumeragi expressionlessly.
"Move aside. Since this is a public gamble, any Hyakkaou student should have the right to watch, right?!"
Sumeragi protested, trying to slip past them, but the two Stray Cats stood firm.
"If it's just to watch, the monitor at the entrance will show a real-time broadcast of the game."
"I see. Then, could you at least give this thermos to Jabami Yumeko for me?"
Hikigaya held out the thermos.
The two Stray Cats exchanged glances, sensing hesitation in each other's eyes. It seemed they were recalling the exact orders Nishinotouin had given them—likely, those didn't include forbidding the passing of objects, only to stop anyone connected to Jabami Yumeko from entering.
They nodded, opened the door slightly, and one of them took the thermos inside.
After that was done, Hikigaya focused his attention on the wall-mounted monitor outside the room. It displayed every gamble Jabami had participated in since her arrival. The choices both sides had bet on, the dealer's hand movements—everything was laid bare for him to see.
Suddenly, Hikigaya's eyes narrowed and locked onto the dealer's hand—on it, something that looked like a mole.
Then, instinctively, he looked at the two gatekeeping Stray Cats. They had identical "moles" on their hands as well.
The dealer held a pot that was narrow at the mouth but wider at the base. Logically, swords inserted into the middle positions—from one to fourteen—should have had the highest chance of winning. But based on Hikigaya's observations, Nishinotouin placed most of her bets beyond the fifteenth hole, and in every round, she consistently bet on the twenty-fourth.
"Jabami, I know you'll notice it too…"
"Oh my, it looks like you've hit the mark. But unfortunately, it's been judged as a loss. According to the rules, Jabami-san now owes me 30 times the bet amount."
"My condolences, by the way."
Nishinotouin Yuriko said with a cheerful smile, but her actions were completely ruthless as she quickly scooped up all the chips in front of Yumeko.
At this point, there was not a single chip left in front of Yumeko.
"Jabami-san, would you like to continue? This gambling feels quite nice, doesn't it? Just a little shake of the pot, and hundreds of millions of yen move around. That feeling is quite wonderful, isn't it? But you know, a small bet is enjoyable, but big bets can be harmful. If you don't have the money, please gamble within your means."
Nishinotouin's face displayed a fake smile.
"Gamble within your means?" Based on her investigation into Jabami Yumeko, she knew that this woman would rarely refuse a gambling opportunity. A woman who gambles recklessly without considering the consequences is the type most likely to fall into the abyss.
As expected, just after she finished speaking, Jabami Yumeko opened her purse and shook out all the money inside.
Jabami Yumeko tilted her head, showing a gentle smile, and slightly waved her hand over the stack of bills. "Here's 40 million yen, change it all into chips. That's 40 chips in total."
Heh, she took the bait.
From the slits of Nishinotouin's narrowed eyes, a chilling coldness emerged. The prey she had set her sights on never had the chance to pull back.
"Nishinotouin-sama..."
A Stray Cat's voice drew their attention.
The girl, holding the inspected thermos, approached Yumeko after confirming there were no cheating tools inside.
"Someone outside asked me to deliver this thermos to Jabami-sama. After inspection, there's only hot water inside."
Nishinotouin nodded, realizing that the person outside was likely Hikigaya Hachiman, someone Juraku Sachiko had been dealing with.
Her brows furrowed as she sensed something was off. "Did Juraku fail? Why is Hikigaya Hachiman still in the mood to deliver water?"
'Such a disgrace to the student council... Fine. I'll personally deal with Jabami Yumeko first. Then I'll use her as bait to lure Hikigaya Hachiman into the game.'
'Today, I'll take care of these two freshmen once and for all.'
She turned her head to look at Jabami Yumeko, and her expression froze, cold sweat breaking out on her face.