Chapter 2: Fujiwara-san, Who Is Really Good at Being Teased
"Play with me~ Sakurai-kun~"
✧｡٩(ˊᗜˋ )و✧*｡
In the student council room, Sakurai Saki had just finished his work and was sitting on the sofa with an expressionless face.
Fujiwara Chika was frantically shaking his shoulders.
"You know, Fujiwara-san, last year when you competed against me, you lost 186 times, drew 4 times, and never won even once."
"Do you know what that means?"
"Even flipping a coin and getting the same side that many times in a row would be impossible."
"But you managed to do it."
Sakurai Saki clapped as he gave the example.
"Stand proud, Fujiwara-san. You're really strong. Pachi pachi pachi~~"
( ദ്ദി ˙ᗜ˙ )
Hearing that, Fujiwara Chika showed a panicked expression.
She exclaimed, "I lost that many times!?"
"That's right, not even one win," Shinomiya Kaguya added.
Fujiwara Chika, extremely disheartened, placed the deck of cards she was holding onto the table.
(ᴗ_ ᴗ.)
"I was planning to bet tomorrow's lunch with Sakurai-kun, what a pity."
"On second thought, that actually sounds kind of fun."
Sakurai Saki changed his mind.
Or rather, that was his plan from the beginning — to aim for Fujiwara Chika's bento box.
High school students' meal expenses aren't cheap, especially for someone like Sakurai Saki, who had to work part-time after school and spent a lot of time on his job, naturally having no energy left to prepare meals.
At home, it was just Sakurai Saki alone; he had no siblings, and his mother wasn't in Tokyo. Besides transferring living expenses every month, they basically only met once during New Year's.
"Alright then, let's start playing! Draw the Joker! The super, super classic game!"
Fujiwara Chika was full of confidence.
ᕙ( ˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ )ᕗ ✧
Yesterday after going home, she had even practiced for several hours!
She even marked the backs of the cards, prepare for the coming victory!
"Fujiwara, have you heard of Waterloo?"
"Apollo?"
"It's Napoleon!" Sakurai Saki explained. "A continuous winning streak makes the victor blind and arrogant, and fate will deliver a fatal blow when he is at his peak."
"But I've been losing the whole time!?" Fujiwara Chika tried to understand him.
"No, I mean, this time the probability of me losing is very high."
Sakurai Saki glanced at Shinomiya Kaguya, noticing she wasn't exposing his true intention.
"After failing with a one-in-a-million chance, Fujiwara-san's luck will reach its peak, so I think you can bet big this time!"
(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧
Facing Sakurai Saki, who finally revealed his fangs, Fujiwara Chika was immersed in the joy of her soon-to-be victory, completely unaware.
What an idiot! Shinomiya Kaguya cursed silently in her heart.
"Then I'll definitely win this time!"
( • ̀ω•́ )✧
"That's right, you'll definitely win!"
ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧
Sakurai Saki nodded.
The prey had taken the bait.
"Then let's bet three lunches!" Fujiwara Chika raised her hand energetically.
"Umu, that's fine."
Sakurai Saki didn't get greedy.
"Then let's not hesitate, let's make it official~!" Fujiwara Chika suddenly said and took out a piece of paper from her bag.
On it was written [Contract of Life and Death].
Wait, [Death]?
Moreover, Fujiwara Chika's name had already been filled in.
"Isn't this a bit too serious for something so small?"
"Hmmm, maybe it is," Fujiwara Chika rested her chin on her hand, thinking for a few seconds.
Then she put away the life-and-death contract.
Fujiwara-san, you know?
Without you realizing, I just saved your life!
I'll take the three meals as payment!
"Lalala~ I'm about to beat Sakurai-kun for the first time~!"
ฅ^>⩊<^ ฅ
Fujiwara Chika shook her head back and forth happily while dealing the cards, completely unaware that she had just "narrowly escaped death."
After dealing, Sakurai Saki glanced at Fujiwara Chika sneakily peeking at his cards but pretended not to notice.
Fujiwara 'Fraud' Chika.
This brat cheats every time she plays, the only question is how she would cheat this time.
"Pair of twos."
Sakurai Saki drew a card from her and played a pair of twos.
In Joker Draw, the players just needed to avoid drawing the Joker.
A few minutes later, a noise sounded outside the door.
Today, student council president Shirogane Miyuki was absent due to illness, so the only person who could come to the student council room was — the treasurer of the student council, Ishigami Yuu.
A gloomy-looking otaku-boy?
That would probably be the impression normal people had of him.
Initially, Sakurai Saki had also thought, how could there be such a shady otaku in a prestigious school?
But later he realized that was just prejudice.
Liking anime doesn't mean you're a bad person.
Moreover, Ishigami turned out to be surprisingly reliable, at least when it came to things he was interested in — he wouldn't make mistakes.
"Good morning, Ishigami-kun." Sakurai didn't even lift his head as he greeted Ishigami while observing Fujiwara.
(≖_≖ )
Fujiwara Chika was cheating, just one look at her eyes and it was obvious.
Sakurai Saki stared at her eyes for a few seconds, and the secretary Fujiwara immediately averted her gaze.
(,,¬﹏¬,,)
"You're not cheating again, are you? Fujiwara-san?" Sakurai Saki drew a card.
A five.
"O-Of course not~ Sakurai-kun, you're such a joker~" Chika straightened her back, making her already ample chest even more prominent.
Outside the door, Ishigami Yuu with his bangs covering half of his left eye, exuding an extremely gloomy aura, walked in carrying his bag.
"Sakurai-senpai, good morning."
"Huh? Isn't that Fujiwara-senpai?" Ishigami Yuu sat down next to Sakurai and took out his laptop to start calculating the club recruitment budget.
While doing so, he glanced over a few times. Ishigami Yuu — skilled at noticing details — let out a gloomy chuckle, "Oh my, why do these cards have strange markings?"
"No way? Fujiwara-senpai, could it be that even in Joker Draw you cheat? No way?"
Hearing that, Fujiwara Chika hung her head low in panic, whistling, her eyes darting everywhere.
~~~( ｰ̀εｰ́ )
"No... no, I didn't cheat, really. It was like this when I bought the deck at the store."
"Terrible! Just terrible! Fujiwara-senpai! You cheated because you couldn't beat Sakurai-senpai! I heard from Sakurai-senpai, you've been cheating since last year, right? Who would trust you anymore!"
Ishigami Yuu said while scratching himself like he had a rash.
"And even shamelessly claiming you didn't cheat, oh, this person, really too shameless~" Ishigami Yuu muttered and rambled on.
"Say a little less." Sakurai Saki thought he was overdoing it.
After all, Fujiwara Chika, that brat, had never beaten him even once — what was there to be afraid of?
Maybe, this was the arrogance of the victor.
Anyway, the secretary Fujiwara had never won.
Not even once.
"Let's continue." Sakurai Saki extended his hand, using his index finger to cover the patterns on the cards.
Seeing that, Fujiwara Chika panicked even more.
"Sakurai-kun, if you cover the cards, I can't draw."
"Why not?"
"Umm, because..." Chika's mind raced to find an excuse.
૮₍˶Ó﹏Ò ⑅₎ა
"Oh, I almost forgot, Fujiwara-san, you have Alzheimer's, so covering the cards in this situation is bullying." Sakurai Saki generously forgave her.
"That's right!" Fujiwara Chika nodded vigorously.
Then she happily drew a card from Sakurai's hand.
"Fujiwara-san, Alzheimer's is the technical term for senile dementia," Kaguya couldn't help but explain.
"..." Fujiwara Chika glared angrily at Sakurai Saki!
(◣ _ ◢)
"Heh."
(≖⩊≖)
Sakurai Saki stared right back at her.
"Uuu~" Chika's eyes welled up with tears as she held out her last two cards.
ಥ﹏ಥ
Sakurai drew one card.
Then discarded a matching pair.
Now, he only had two cards left.
"Draw."
Sakurai Saki turned away, concealing the cards and presenting them.
"There are two cards here, the left one is the one you want, the right one is the Joker."
Sakurai Saki pushed up the left card.
"You just have to draw the left card."
"..." Fujiwara Chika's eyes hovered around his fingers as she tried to peek at the patterns.
"If you think I'm tricking you, then pick the right card."
For a moment, Fujiwara Chika hesitated.
Left? Or right?
Sakurai pushed up the left card — did that mean he wanted her to pick it?
Meaning the left card was actually the Joker?
Chika reached out, placed her hand on the left card, and secretly observed his expression.
He smiled!
Then the correct choice must be! The right one!
Whoosh!
Fujiwara Chika quickly snatched a card.
She held it up.
∘ ∘ ∘ ( °ヮ° ) ?
Joker?
"Nah nah nah. Why didn't you trust me?"
Sakurai Saki smiled as he took the remaining card from her hand.
"Those three lunches, don't forget~ Fujiwara-san!"
( •̯́ ₃ •̯̀)
"Haiz," the observer, Kaguya, sighed.
"( - ⌓ - )
That's why you can't win.
Completely predictable.
"Uuu~" Fujiwara Chika, teary-eyed, gathered the cards.
"One more game! Bet five bentos!"
(இ﹏இ`｡)
Facing Chika's whining, Sakurai Saki decisively answered――
"I refuse!"