"We talked about a deal." It was also difficult to hide this from Meari, so Ayanokoji simply stated it concisely.
"She's my subordinate now. Like you, she's going to work for me to redeem herself."
"You mean… you want her to come to our casino?"
Meari frowned and subconsciously refused: "Our casino isn't big to begin with, and the staff is already at full capacity. There's no use for her to come."
"There will be soon." Ayanokoji Kiyotaka kept her in suspense: "I happen to want to talk to you all about this today. We'll discuss the specifics later."
When the group arrived at the casino, Togakushi Yukimi was already there, currently sprawled on the table, staring at a pile of banknotes with a silly grin.
"Hello, Togakushi-senpai." Hanatemari Kazura greeted her and asked curiously, "Is this the gambling money won from the party that day?"
"Ah, you're here." Togakushi Yukimi quickly stood up: "Yes, this is the gambling money we won. Tanaka Yuzuna gave me this money when he invited me to dinner yesterday. This is his share he asked me to give to Meari."
"Is all this money mine!?" Meari's eyes immediately lit up, and she pounced to the table.
She had been wondering whether she should go personally ask Tanaka Yuzuna for the money, but she didn't expect him to have already sent it.
Saotome counted it. The amount was quite large, roughly estimated to be around three million.
Saotome looked at Togakushi Yukimi in confusion: "Isn't this too much money? I should only have two million."
"Another million is from me." Togakushi Yukimi said with a smile, "After all, this money was obtained because of you, so let my one million be the operating funds."
Togakushi Yukimi had also done this after some internal struggle.
Her and Saotome Meari's victory was based on the fact that Hanatemari had lost her overnight rights. Although she could have taken it all, she felt guilty and truly couldn't take the two million for herself.
Togakushi Yukimi's gaze darted between Ayanokoji and Hanatemari, and she hesitated before asking, "Speaking of which… Hanatemari, are you alright?"
Hanatemari was startled, subconsciously glanced at Ayanokoji beside her, and her face immediately turned crimson. She stammered, "I'm fine, don't worry about me!"
"Hanatemari is fine!"
Saotome confidently patted her chest, smilingly taking the initiative to explain for Hanatemari: "Ayanokoji and Hanatemari's fathers know each other. After communicating, they reached a consensus to waive Hanatemari's gambling debt this time, so you don't have to worry."
"That's right, that's exactly it!" Hanatemari nodded repeatedly, her face red.
Is she really alright…? Seeing Hanatemari's clearly smitten expression, Togakushi Yukimi couldn't possibly believe she was fine.
But since Saotome said so, she rationally didn't press further.
Togakushi Yukimi noticed a white object around Saotome's neck and asked curiously, "Meari, what's that on your neck?"
Saotome had already hung the rabbit's foot pendant around her neck. She happily took it out to show: "This is a rabbit's foot!"
This rabbit's foot, after some unknown treatment, looked more like an industrial product than something handmade. It felt fluffy and had no strange odor; instead, it had a faint fragrance.
When hung around her neck, Meari felt very refreshed, and even the air seemed a few degrees fresher.
"A rabbit's foot? According to some Western legends, a rabbit's foot is not only a symbol of luck but also of fertility…"
Togakushi Yukimi's gaze towards Saotome became strange: "Do you feel unlucky or are you looking for love?"
Is that so?
Saotome Meari felt like she suddenly understood a bit more, and she nervously explained, "I bought this myself! I feel like my luck isn't very good, so I wanted to buy something to change my fortune!"
Seeing that Saotome intended to conceal something, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka didn't disrupt the atmosphere by exposing her.
Since she didn't want to say, then let her keep it a secret for now.
The two best friends were hiding something from each other. Although they cared for each other, they kept secrets from each other.
Humans are indeed interesting… Ayanokoji Kiyotaka couldn't help but show a slight smile.
Did Meari buy this rabbit's foot herself?
Hanatemari looked at Meari in surprise. She hadn't seen this rabbit's foot last night. If she had bought it before, why didn't she wear it while playing Mahjong?
She had been with Saotome all day today and hadn't seen her leave her sight to buy anything…
Could it be… No!
Hanatemari shook her head abruptly, not allowing herself to think further.
Since Meari said she bought it herself, then she must have bought it. She shouldn't be thinking such nonsense!
Saotome's gaze drifted, Hanatemari suddenly shook her head, Ayanokoji's face showed a mysterious smile…
All of this made Togakushi Yukimi feel very uneasy, but she couldn't pinpoint why.
Togakushi Yukimi looked at the three of them with suspicious eyes, scanning back and forth. She had only been away for one day, but what had she missed? It felt like months had passed?
Togakushi Yukimi shivered for no reason. She felt that a pathetic thick barrier had already formed between herself and the others…
"Oh, let's not talk about this!"
Saotome Meari felt the atmosphere was very awkward, and quickly changed the subject, separating two million from the three million and placing it in front of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
"This two million is the casino operating funds you gave me before and the money you lent me. I'm returning it to you now."
The one million for casino operations was lost to Mibuomi Aoi, and the one million Ayanokoji lent her was used as chips for the first round of gambling.
Now that she had officially cleared her debt to Ayanokoji, Saotome Meari breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Borrowing money was truly unpleasant, making her feel inferior to Ayanokoji, even though Ayanokoji didn't mean it that way. But now she could finally face Ayanokoji as an equal.
Meari then looked at Hanatemari: "The remaining one million needs to be paid as a special donation for Hanatemari, to free her from her status as livestock…"
"No need!"
Hearing Saotome say that, Hanatemari quickly shook her head.
"There's no need to pay the special donation for me! This morning at the opening ceremony, the Student Council President already announced the payment date. Without paying that one million, I can still escape my livestock status in a few days!"
Originally, Hanatemari didn't know how to explain her "bullying" incident, but coincidentally, the deadline for paying the donation was announced today.
The deadline for paying the donation is this Friday, with a minimum of 100,000 yen. The hundred people with the lowest payment amounts will be labeled as "livestock." Generally, as long as one pays 130,000 yen, they won't become livestock.