Rinji had always found gambling—especially card games—utterly boring.
Because to him, it was far too easy. He could alter suits and numbers at will. Whatever hand he wanted, he got. In card games, he basically had no rivals.
Basically.
Because there was one exception: his father.
Everything Rinji knew about marking and cheating with cards, he had learned from his dad.
Now, he was sitting across from a girl named Jabami Yumeko, both having placed a base bet of 5 million yen and gone all-in with 30 million yen.
In this moment, Rinji couldn't help but remember playing cards with his father back home.
---
Rinji: "Four of a kind."
Dad: "Four sixes."
Rinji: "Bomb."
Dad: "Joker bomb."
Rinji: "Double joker bomb."
Dad: "Quadruple joker bomb."
Five minutes later—
Rinji: "Straight flush!"
Dad: "Royal flush."
Fifteen minutes later—
Rinji: "Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Use Burst Stream of Destruction!!!!"
Dad: "Magic Cylinder (No Mercy)."
Rinji: "Damn it!! I've collected all five cards! I summon Dark Grandmaster!"
Dad: "Look closely. One of them is Kuriboh."
Rinji: "WHAT!!? When did it change!?"
---
That was the vibe. No logic, no mercy. Just chaos between father and son.
"Miss Jabami, I'll give you one last chance," Rinji said coldly.
"If you fold now, you walk away with 30 million yen. But if you insist, I'll have to teach you a lesson."
"No need. That's what makes this fun~"
"I see."
The two of them fell silent as the dealer continued.
After burning a card, the dealer placed the fourth community card on the table.
5♠.
"Would either of you like to raise?"
Rinji: "I raise… ten million."
Dealer: "Confirmed…"
Rinji: "In US dollars."
"What!?"
Ten million USD—over one billion yen.
"Excuse me, sir, do you actually have that kind of—"
The dealer hesitated, but Rinji calmly opened a transfer app on his phone and tossed it on the table. His account showed a balance of $23.21 million.
"Any problem?"
"N-No…"
"Good." Rinji looked straight at Yumeko. "Miss Jabami, if you don't raise, you'll have to fold."
"So that's your strategy—intimidate me into folding with sheer money?"
Yumeko smiled faintly. "Too bad. That's all I have. I can't raise anymore…"
"No. You still have something to bet."
Rinji grinned.
"In war, countries gamble with their military, economy, and tech. On the battlefield, a soldier's gear, logistics, and reinforcement time are all bets. And the true chips in war… are the soldiers' lives."
He tapped the table as his pupils turned a vivid, blood-red hue.
"Human life is the ultimate wager. You can bet your life."
"…"
The onlookers were stunned.
"Did I hear that right?"
"Betting her life?"
"Is that really necessary?"
Even Momo frowned. She knew Rinji meant what he said.
As for Yumeko, not only did she show no fear—her cheeks flushed slightly.
"Yes… This feeling of stepping into the abyss with a single misstep—it's exhilarating!"
"So what's your decision?"
"You want me to stake my life against your ten million USD? If I lose, what then? Am I your slave forever?"
"No," Rinji replied. "I'm not betting on your future. Just your life. If you win, you get the 70 million yen plus the 10 million Dollars equivalent in yen. But if you lose—"
SLAM!
Takamine Rinji slammed a pistol onto the table and locked his crimson eyes on Jabami Yumeko.
"I'll blow your head off with a single shot."
This gamble wasn't just about money—it now concerned Yumeko's life.
"Want to back out? Fold now and you only lose 35 million yen. No debt, no consequences. But if you lose… your life is forfeit."
"Oh? But there's another possibility." Yumeko smiled. "That I win, and take your 10 million USD and 35 million yen."
"You're not going to win."
Rinji signaled to the dealer with a glance.
The dealer, visibly nervous, trembled as he placed the final card on the table.
♦9.
The total stakes: Rinji's 35 million yen plus 10 million USD. Yumeko's 35 million yen… and her life.
Time to reveal.
Yumeko turned over her cards.
♣9 and ♠9.
With the community cards being ♠2, ♠4, ♥9, ♠5, and ♦9—that made four of a kind.
The crowd gasped.
In Texas Hold'em, the odds of drawing four of a kind are about 1 in 4,164.
Rinji chuckled. "I have to admit, your luck isn't bad, Miss Jabami."
"Why, thank you~"
Even with her life on the line, she showed no fear.
Now it was Rinji's turn.
He flipped over ♠A and ♠3.
Along with the community cards ♠2, ♠4, and ♠5, that made a straight flush.
The odds of drawing that? About 1 in 64,973.
He hadn't even marked the cards—he'd won purely by chance.
"You lost, Miss Jabami."
"I did."
Yumeko sat back in her chair, glanced at the pistol on the table, and closed her eyes with a smile.
"Go ahead. Pull the trigger."
A bet was a bet. No matter how brutal, it had to be honored.
"You don't need to tell me."
Rinji picked up the pistol, aimed it at Yumeko's head, and put his finger on the trigger.
No one dared stop him. The entire room held its breath.
Yumeko suddenly spoke, still smiling: "Takamine-kun, you're doing this because you want me to stop gambling, right?"
"Hmm?"
"You won't succeed. Gambling is my life. I'll never give it up," Yumeko said with a smile. "So I want to place one final bet."
"What are you talking about? You're about to die—"
"I bet there's no bullet in your gun."
"…"