98 - The winner of the game, Hikigaya
Scramble for it like stray cats fighting for scraps!
Shimotsukiuri Ouri's light and breezy words struck the ears of the girls like sharp thorns.
But they had no choice but to press their lips together and accept what she said.
They were already trapped in a desperate situation.
They had to—absolutely had to—take this crucial ten points.
"I'll treat my private livestock in the most cruel way~" Shimotsukiuri Ouri said leisurely.
"I'll make them wear signs and stand in front of the school gates every day, repeating the same line:
'I am livestock. Please feel free to use me.'"
"If you don't want to end up with that fate, then fight with all you've got alongside your equally brain-dead companions."
"I'll give you a hint. The rule is: [consists of cards of the same type and same suit]."
After saying that, Shimotsukiuri Ouri laid down her card: Clubs 2.
When she saw the card played, Saotome Mary's pupils sharply contracted.
If Shimotsukiuri Ouri was telling the truth, then the rule for this round could only be Clubs.
The rule must be either [Even-numbered Clubs] or [Clubs with no number restriction]—only those two possibilities!
Should she take the gamble? Now's the moment! While the Ougatou sisters still haven't reacted!
It's a 50-50 chance—if she wins, she can escape this hell of gambling!
Saotome Mary was trapped in endless conflict.
She instinctively raised her head to look at Hikigaya—then suddenly froze.
Hikigaya's expression didn't waver in the slightest. He simply shook his head slowly at Saotome.
'Does he still have a plan?'
Somehow, Hikigaya's calm demeanor seemed contagious, gradually calming Saotome Mary's restless and uncertain state of mind.
There was a reason, after all, why Saotome was a woman recognized by Hikigaya. Her brain worked better than the average student at Hyakkaou Academy.
Only then did the Ougatou sisters, snapping out of their panic, realize what Shimotsukiuri Ouri had truly meant.
The sisters were united in heart and mind. The younger sister, Houko, was proud and could never accept the humiliation of becoming a private livestock. The older sister, Naoko, was naturally more accepting of such things, so even if she were to become a private livestock and be abused by Shimotsukiuri daily, it wouldn't be entirely intolerable.
So, the time had come for the sisters to make a decision!
It wasn't about personal benefit or value anymore—it was the purest, noblest form of sisterly love!
The sisters exchanged glances, and in each other's eyes, they saw resolve.
'Even if it's just a fifty-fifty chance, we absolutely can't let Saotome take the lead!'
'If we don't bet now, then when?!'
'This is our Ougatou sisters' gamble!'
'Then let's go! Houko!'
"The deduction, the rule is—"
"Wait!"
Hikigaya shouted angrily.
Arms crossed over his chest, he looked at the two foolish girls with a cold yet somewhat pitying expression. He spoke in a disappointed tone:
"Don't you have any self-respect?"
"Huh?"
His sudden words left the sisters stunned.
Self-respect?
Why bring that up in the middle of a gamble?
"Is doing this worthy of your ambition to stand at the top of Full-Bloom? Are you trying to bow your heads and beg Shimotsukiuri for mercy?"
"If so, then you're not worthy of this school. You're worse than the livestock who lost in regular gambles—they at least had backbone."
The chandelier in the activity room flickered dimly, casting Hikigaya's face into shadow and light, making him appear deep and profound.
"B-but if we lose, we really will become Shimotsukiuri's private livestock…"
"If we become livestock, then doesn't everything become meaningless?"
Houko lowered her head, looking at her toes through the valley of her chest, speaking softly and somewhat resentfully.
"No, if you're already thinking like that, then you've already lost. You're completely dancing in the palm of Shimotsukiuri Ouri's hand."
"Enough already!"
Hikigaya's scolding words struck Houko hard, breaking her composure. She flung her arms out in frustration and shouted:
"I don't understand what you're saying—so what?! We're going to lose anyway! Do you have a way to save us?!"
Save you?
'Heh… you're wrong. I'm not just saving you.'
Hikigaya narrowed his eyes. "It's true that we can no longer surpass Shimotsukiuri's current score. But—you can drag her down with you."
"Huh? Drag her down? What do you mean?"
"Think about it—carefully."
"Why did Shimotsukiuri Ouri suddenly get so kind and offer you a rule hint, letting you three compete for the chance to enter the safe zone?"
"Was it really because of that so-called 'lesson from Mibuomi-senpai'? Don't be ridiculous."
"It's because—she's not completely confident she'll win!"
"In the future she envisioned, you'd be in utter misery, which would drive you to scramble for the safety zone. Tossing out a hint like that was meant to amplify the pressure in your hearts. All her frenzied attempts to provoke you have only one purpose—"
"To trick you into saying the answer out loud!"
Hikigaya's voice swept through their confused minds, wiping away the unease and hesitation that clouded their judgment.
It allowed them to reevaluate the gamble with clear, rational thought.
"...That's right," Saotome Mary murmured. "If none of us deduce the rule, then Shimotsukiuri Ouri will be penalized ten points."
"In other words, she'll tie with Hikigaya. And then, her entire plan falls apart."
As Hikigaya's mouthpiece, Saotome exposed Shimotsukiuri's scheme completely.
Shimotsukiuri Ouri's pupils trembled violently. She stared at Hikigaya Hachiman, unable to speak for a long while.
"You... you…"
"Do you get it now? So, if you still have even a shred of self-respect, don't answer her."
"I promise—no one will become livestock in this gamble!"
"Don't listen to his nonsense! Fine, I'll just say it clearly—the rule is [Even-numbered Clubs]! As long as you say it, you're safe!"
Having her plot so mercilessly exposed by Hikigaya, Shimotsukiuri Ouri panicked. She blurted out the rule in front of everyone.
Now, even the fifty-fifty risk was gone.
All they had to do was repeat what she said, and they'd be free from the fear deep in their hearts.
"Come on! Say it already! Ougatou sisters, Saotome!"
"If you become my livestock, I'll definitely humiliate you! I'll make you smell my socks after sports, serve me every day, and even... make you slut..."
The situation was critical. Shimotsukiuri no longer cared that Hikigaya, a male, was present—she screamed out what she believed were the most humiliating acts, trying to terrify the girls into submission.
But the same trick couldn't work a second time on girls now blessed by the god of wisdom—Hikigaya.
The three girls looked at each other.
In that moment, they truly cast aside all prejudice toward one another—and felt the resolve burning in each other's hearts.