Rinji straightened his collar and walked toward the gambling table.
The staff all recognized him. As he approached, they subtly cleared a path.
Seated at the table, Rinji sat down and carefully studied the girl before him.
She was beautiful and elegant, but he wasn't interested in that.
"That uniform… You're from Hyakkaou Private Academy, aren't you?"
"Yes." The girl smiled. "Though I haven't officially enrolled yet. I just got the uniform early—classes start the day after tomorrow."
"There really are schools like that, huh? Teaching kids who aren't even grown up how to gamble."
"Is that so? I've always thought gambling was a wonderful thing~"
As she spoke, she licked her lips, savoring the thought like a gourmet dish.
"I've never found any enjoyment in such a tedious game."
"Then... are you my opponent today?"
The girl's expression was still unreadable.
"Actually, I came here to gamble with Miss Ryuju."
"Is that so?"
Rinji smiled slightly.
"Do you know the rules around here?"
"What rules?"
"If you want to challenge the house, you have to pass through the gate first. Beat me, and you can challenge anyone else in the casino," Rinji said.
"Fine by me~ It doesn't matter who I play. Let's enjoy the thrill of the game~"
"Thanks, but I won't enjoy it." Rinji replied. "So, what's your game? Blackjack? Something else?"
"Texas Hold'em Poker."
"Alright."
The dealer had arrived and began shuffling the cards.
Rinji glanced at him and said offhandedly, "Shuffle properly. Don't stick your pinky in."
"!"
The dealer froze.
He had been using a common casino trick: false shuffling. After drawing the top few cards and placing them at the bottom, he held them with his pinky to keep the order intact. After a fake shuffle, the prearranged top fifteen cards would remain unchanged.
He'd intended to help Rinji win—but hadn't expected to get caught before the game even started.
The girl sitting across from him revealed a faintly intrigued smile.
"What's your name?"
"Takamine Rinji."
"My name is Jabami Yumeko. Let's have ourselves a proper gamble."
"Sure. I'm in a hurry to get home and rest, so let's settle this quickly."
Unlike Blackjack, Texas Hold'em has so many variables that it can't be solved with simple mathematics. The opponent's hand, the burn card, the turn, and the river are all unknowns.
Even if Rinji used a technique to mark the cards manually, if his marked card happened to match the one in the opponent's hand, it would be clear cheating.
Before the deal, both players placed their bets. Rinji and Yumeko each put down 5 million yen in chips.
After shuffling, the dealer dealt each of them two cards, burned one card, and then placed three community cards on the table.
The flop was: 2♠, 4♠, and 9♥.
Rinji glanced at his own hand: 3♠ and A♠.
He looked at Yumeko sitting across from him. She was still wearing her composed smile.
Time to bet.
Yumeko nodded, pulled out a suitcase from under the table, undid the latches, and dumped it out. Thick bundles of ten-thousand yen bills spilled across the table.
"Thirty million yen. All in."
The surrounding casino guests gasped.
"What!?"
"Thirty million yen!?"
"A high-stakes gamble!"
Momo, standing behind Rinji, frowned and leaned in to whisper in his ear, "You confident you can win?"
"Not even a little."
"Got it."
Momo straightened up and signaled her men, "Bring the money."
Several men in black nodded and brought out metal cases, dumping large stacks of cash onto the table.
"We're also going all in. Thirty million."
Rinji: "…Did you not hear what I just said?"
"I heard you say you're not confident."
"And you're still betting?"
"If you lose, you'll just pay with yourself."
"…"
Rinji had a feeling he was getting played.
Looking at Yumeko again, her decision to go all in so recklessly made no sense.
In standard poker strategy, even beginners know to bet only when their odds of winning are better than the pot odds. Yesterday this girl supposedly won thirty million, and today she's betting it all?
In poker, one of the simplest probability rules is the Rule of 4 and 2. On the flop: outs × 4, and on the turn: outs × 2.
With his hand and the known three cards, he would need either of nine remaining spades or three 3s—twelve cards total. If Yumeko was holding something weak like a pair of 10s, then even just drawing an Ace would let him win. Add in the remaining three Aces, that gives 15 possible outs.
According to the rule, his odds of winning were about 60%.
But in a pot that only had 10 million yen, betting 30 million on a 60% chance was near suicidal.
"Takamine-kun, you're probably thinking my decision to bet all thirty million is irrational, right?" Yumeko smiled.
"I'm not really concerned. Momo-senpai is just as irrational."
"And that's the joy of gambling~"
"Huh?"
Yumeko licked her finger seductively, a touch of madness flickering in her eyes.
"That's what makes it exciting. Gambling is madness. In a world where money equals power, gambling is abnormal. But it's precisely that abnormality that makes it so pleasurable… The more insane the gamble, the more fun it is."
"…"
Rinji lowered his head. His golden bangs obscured his expression, but the sinister smile forming on his lips was unmistakable.
"Does dancing on the edge of life and death really bring you joy?"
"Of course~ It's addictive."
"I get it now. What girls like you need… isn't education, but despair."
Rinji smiled as he slipped a ring onto his finger.
"Let me show you what hell feels like."