Mikura cheated?
Hearing Saotome Meari's words, Ayanokoji was both surprised and not surprised.
Ayanokoji was not surprised that someone would cheat.
In a casino, if there are no prior rules against cheating, then cheating can almost be considered an inevitable behavior.
Especially since the Student Council's punishment for cheating is very light, almost to the point of encouraging it, it would be strange if no one cheated.
What surprised Ayanokoji was that, according to Saotome Meari, the cheater was Mikura, the girl wearing the collar around her neck.
Mikura was like a loyal dog to Sachiko Juraku; she did whatever Sachiko Juraku told her to do, always obeying Sachiko Juraku's commands.
Could it be that Sachiko Juraku instructed her to make Saotome lose?
Why would that be? There was no need for it. Sachiko Juraku wouldn't covet Saotome Meari's one million yen, would she?
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka thought of another possibility.
What if Sachiko Juraku didn't instruct her, but Mikura decided to cheat to help Togakushi Yukimi on her own, and Sachiko Juraku simply condoned her actions?
This possibility seemed more likely.
"Ayanokoji, please, lend me some money…" Saotome had her entire body pressed against Ayanokoji. To the others in the room, it looked like Saotome was already selling her beauty to borrow money.
"Meari, get up quickly, the Student Council members are still watching!" Kazura Hanatemari, blushing, tried to pull Saotome Meari up, but she stubbornly looked at Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, refusing to get off him, as if she wouldn't move until he agreed.
Ayanokoji sighed, pushed Saotome away with a little force, and stood up from the floor.
"Saotome, it's not that I don't want to lend you money; I just don't want you to gamble purely on luck. If it's the debt to the Student Council, I can lend it to you first."
Since Saotome said that Togakushi Yukimi was cheating and the Dealer was playing favorites, then if she tried again, it would be the same, wouldn't she still lose terribly?
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka wanted Saotome Meari to give up the idea of gambling again.
Saotome Meari also understood Ayanokoji's underlying message, but she pouted, still unwilling to give up this opportunity.
"Please wait a moment, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and I are going out to talk for a bit. We'll be back soon, don't leave!"
Saotome Meari suddenly shouted, pulling Ayanokoji Kiyotaka out of the room. She didn't let go of Ayanokoji until they reached the balcony at the end of the hallway.
"What's wrong? What do you want to tell me?" Ayanokoji asked.
"When Mikura announced the end of the game, Togakushi Yukimi also looked surprised when she saw her card. It's clear that the card wasn't what she originally wrote down.
Mikura was helping Togakushi Yukimi cheat, replacing the card in her hand with different content!"
Saotome Meari quickly explained to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
"Ayanokoji, you know, the probability of each possibility in this gamble isn't the same. Actually, the probabilities of UDD, UUD, DDU, and DUU are much greater than the probabilities of UUU and DDD appearing…"
Ayanokoji patiently listened to Saotome Meari's explanation. As expected, her years of study hadn't been in vain; she also knew that the key to this problem was "expected value."
"I know that. And then?"
"These four sequences actually have a 'countering' relationship. Neither of us knows what the other wrote, so our chances of winning are both 50%. It wouldn't be strange no matter who won. But Mikura, that guy, after seeing my card, secretly replaced Togakushi Yukimi's card, which is why I lost!"
Saotome Meari's "countering relationship" actually referred to the differences in the order of appearance of the four sequences.
Although the expected values of these four probabilities are the same, their order of appearance is slightly different. For example, DDU will appear before DUU, and DUU will appear before UUD.
Simply put, the countering relationship means DDU > DUU > UUD > UDD > DDU, forming a cycle in the order of appearance of the four probabilities.
If Saotome Meari's card was DUU, then Mikura would change Togakushi Yukimi's to DDU, making Togakushi Yukimi's card more likely to appear before Saotome Meari's.
So that's how Mikura cheated… Ayanokoji Kiyotaka roughly understood what Saotome Meari wanted to say.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka sighed lightly, leaning against the balcony railing: "I understand that, but I still won't lend you money. Besides, even if I did lend you money, since Mikura is cheating, it would be difficult for you to win even if you tried again, wouldn't it?"
"If I try again, I have a way to win! Since Mikura is cheating, I don't need to follow her rules! I have a method that can greatly increase my winning rate!"
Saotome pulled out her nail polish remover from her pocket and said eagerly: "This is my nail polish remover, it contains acetone.
Although it's colorless and transparent, it evaporates easily when it comes into contact with water. If applied to paper, it will form visible marks.
As long as I use nail polish remover to add a stroke to my original answer, I will have written two answers simultaneously. When needed, I can make the second answer appear.
This way, my winning rate will greatly increase! If my winning rate was only one-eighth before, now I'll have a three-quarters winning rate! If I try again, I'm sure I'll win!"
I see… No wonder Saotome Meari was so anxious. She wasn't an irrational gambler, but someone who, after thinking, genuinely believed she could make a comeback.
Indeed, if Saotome Meari used this method, her chances of winning would be very high.
But...
"Do you think you can always win at gambling?" Ayanokoji Kiyotaka asked.
"Since it's gambling, there will definitely be wins and losses. With such high odds, it would be a shame not to gamble! There's no such thing as a guaranteed win in gambling in this world!"
Saotome stomped her foot anxiously, afraid that if they delayed too long, Sachiko Juraku and her group would leave. A three-quarters chance to win, such an opportunity was rare.
Unfortunately, there really was a guaranteed win.
Ayanokoji patted Saotome's shoulder, telling her to calm down: "Saotome, calm down first. Let me ask you, why do you want to gamble?"
Saotome Meari stopped stomping her foot and looked at Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, her tone resolute: "I just want a casino. With a casino, I can slowly make money. Isn't that also our agreement?
If I want to win, being the Dealer is the best method; only the Dealer never loses!"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was very relieved; Saotome had not lost her mind. She indeed had her own reasons for sitting at the gambling table.
"...You want this casino, right?" Ayanokoji confirmed.
"That's right, I just need a casino!"
Saotome's eyes lit up, thinking Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had agreed to her. She nodded repeatedly and extended her hand towards him: "Believe me, I can win. Just lend me a million, and I'll pay you back immediately!"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka shook his head.
"No, it's still the same. I'm not going to lend you money to gamble. If you want the casino, let me do it."
"What do you mean...?" Saotome Meari blinked, surprised: "Do you mean you're going to gamble in my place?"
Saotome Meari thought for a moment, then quickly handed the nail polish remover to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. Although she was a bit disappointed she couldn't gamble herself, it was the same no matter who gambled, as long as they could win.
"It's fine if you gamble. With my method, your chances of winning are also very high!"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka played with the nail polish remover for a moment, then returned it to Saotome Meari.
"I don't need this. I'm going to gamble, but not with the Student Council. I'm going to gamble with the casino's manager."
Saotome Meari hadn't understood what he meant when she saw Ayanokoji pull out a deck of playing cards from his pocket.
"But before that, you come and play a couple of rounds with me."
-----------------------------
I'm still fairly new to translating, but I genuinely love doing it. I've set up a Patreon as a small corner to share my work with everyone. There you'll find early access to chapters and some special content just for you.
I hope this Patreon can grow and become a place where I can connect with you all in the future. If you'd like to take a look or support me, you can visit:
[patreon.com/Greyhounds]