97 - Mortal Wisdom, Like Stray Cats Scrambling for Food
Just as Hikigaya Hachiman predicted, Shimotsukiuri Ouri slowly raised her hand in front of everyone.
The smiles on the Ougatou sisters' faces froze.
"Huh?"
"Shimotsukiuri, what are you doing?"
"I've already deduced the rule."
"The rule is: Clubs with a face value that's a multiple of 3 → Hearts → Even-numbered Clubs → Odd-numbered Diamonds."
Clatter...
Ougatou Houko couldn't hold the cards in her hand—they scattered all over the floor. She quickly recovered from her shock and slammed both hands on the table, jumping to her feet with a whoosh.
"Haaaaaah?!"
"How could you possibly?! How could you possibly deduce that rule?!"
"You cheated, didn't you?!"
Facing Ougatou Houko's questioning, Shimotsukiuri calmly retorted, "You were the ones who prepared the cards, and you checked me beforehand. How exactly could I cheat?"
"The reason I know the rule is very simple—"
Shimotsukiuri Ouri's pupils seemed to reflect all things in the world. "It's the eyes~"
"When one of you sisters is the dealer, you always gaze at the other—who takes the player seat."
"The moment the player glances back at the dealer, the dealer always makes a small ambiguous movement. As long as one pays close attention to that movement, cracking your code isn't hard at all."
"Your code is—"
Hikigaya, standing nearby, slightly opened his mouth, and almost in perfect sync with Shimotsukiuri, softly muttered the code he had also observed:
"Left elbow on the table means a multiple of 3. Right elbow on the table means an odd number. Both elbows means an even number."
"Then, within 5 seconds after confirming each other's motion, blinking once means Spade, twice means Heart, three times means Club, four times means Diamond."
The atmosphere in the clubroom seemed to freeze solid.
The Ougatou sisters looked at each other, sensing the fear in each other's eyes.
Their code had been completely deciphered.
But before they could fully digest that terror, Shimotsukiuri Ouri's words struck again like a giant hand shoving them into the abyss.
"The one who came up with such a childish code, and the one who never noticed it and let herself be played like a fool—simply put—"
"Are nothing more than a hopeless gathering of idiots~"
"So weak, Ougatou sisters. With only this level of ability, you actually dared to dream of replacing Mibuomi-senpai? Utterly delusional!"
Before they could erupt in anger, Shimotsukiuri turned her eyes toward Hikigaya and Saotome: "As for you two—you're a little smarter than them, you designed two sets of codes. But I've already cracked those too. It's based on emotion, right?"
"When Saotome shows heightened emotional fluctuations, that signals a code switch. The suits and numbers conveyed through finger taps must then be interpreted in reverse."
"As of now, I've seen through all four of your codes."
"I'll say this clearly—from here on out, if you continue using codes to communicate, you won't win a single round."
"Now then, let's drag you all into a battle of brains instead." Shimotsukiuri tapped her head with a finger. "I'm quite curious—do you fools actually stand any chance of beating me in a contest of intellect?"
"You—!"
Ougatou Naoko and Saotome Mary almost shouted in unison.
But the fury boiling inside them had no outlet. They had been completely exposed. They no longer had the qualifications to hurl insults at Shimotsukiuri, who now stood as the undisputed victor of the moment.
After a long pause, they could only force out one line:
"Don't get so full of yourself!"
After sitting back down, Saotome Mary furrowed her brows. She hadn't expected Shimotsukiuri Ouri to be this powerful when she got serious.
Now, she had to launch a counterattack!
.
.
.
Failure. Failure. Failure.
From that point on, the gambling rounds turned into a one-sided slaughter.
The Ougatou sisters—who had always thrived on hidden rule games—encountered their greatest obstacle since the start of the tournament.
Every single move they made was seen through by Shimotsukiuri. Every time they were about to deduce a rule, she would cut them off with her slow, deliberate reasoning—one step ahead.
There was nothing they could do.
The same applied to Saotome Mary. She cast a pleading glance toward Hikigaya Hachiman—only to see him remain unmoved.
He didn't make a single gesture or attempt to pass any information.
As if he had abandoned her to sink alone into the abyss of high-stakes gambling.
Could it be that Hikigaya...
'No, that can't be. From what I know about Hikigaya Hachiman, he's not that kind of person. But then, why is he so indifferent to Shimotsukiuri Ouri's offensive?'
'Please... even just a little bit...'
Saotome Mary was still gritting her teeth and hanging on, struggling with all her might against the overwhelming pressure coming at her from all directions, threatening to swallow her whole.
After once again slowly voicing her deduction, Shimotsukiuri's lips finally curled upward uncontrollably into a mocking smile.
She clasped both hands into fists and rested them in front of her lower abdomen, like a saint listening to the sufferings of the world:
"Even if someone's a traitor, as long as they're useful, they still have value to be exploited. So from the very beginning, I've been waiting for you all to beg for mercy."
"But—"
"It's completely useless. You two really are just garbage. Without the twin code between you, you're nothing when it comes to brainpower."
"People who have neither loyalty nor ability are utterly worthless. I didn't originally have a reason to get rid of you, but I can't stand people like you continuing to exist in this school as executives of the Full-Bloom Association."
"So—please go and die."
"This round's rule is: alternate between playing odd-numbered Diamonds and even-numbered Hearts."
Hikigaya's eyes moved slightly, and in the end, he finally spoke:
"Deduction... correct."
Upon hearing that, Shimotsukiuri Ouri slowly stood up from her seat.
With the posture of a victor, she swept her gaze across the three frightened girls and sneered:
"It's already over, right? Only the final round remains."
"Look at your scores."
[Hikigaya Hachiman: 30 points]
[Ougatou Naoko: 25 points]
[Ougatou Houko: 24 points]
[Saotome Mary: 23 points]
"And me, Shimotsukiuri Ouri—40 points."
"Now do you understand? There's no way I'll lose to fools like you."
"The wisdom of mortals—"
"—is nothing compared to me, Shimotsukiuri Ouri."
With a look of disgust on her face, Shimotsukiuri Ouri growled in a low voice:
"Not only are your minds dull, but you're also arrogant, slothful, and so stupid it makes me sick!"
Then her tone suddenly shifted, sounding almost pitiful and compassionate:
"But... Mibuomi-senpai taught me to be forgiving, so I've decided to give you one last chance."
Shimotsukiuri Ouri slowly drew a rule card, pinching it between her index and middle fingers, holding the back of the card toward them:
"This is a very simple rule. Whoever gets it will enter the safe zone and avoid the fate of becoming a private livestock."
"So—scramble for it like stray cats fighting for scraps!"