After the game ended, it was time for everyone to leave their seats.
The first to leave was, naturally, the idiosyncratic Kōenji. Seeing him walk with his hands behind his head and chest puffed out, he didn't seem the least bit disappointed about losing the game.
The four from Classes A and B said their goodbyes to Hiyori and followed Kōenji out of the hall. It looked like they were probably going to exchange some chips and come back.
After everyone had dispersed, Hiyori Shiina looked at the small mountain of chips and was momentarily at a loss.
Mio Ibuki, who was beside her, was about to volunteer to help, but unfortunately, the dealer seemed a bit 'inconsiderate.' After counting the chips, he took away the majority of them and exchanged them for a total of 10 chips for the girl: 2 purple, 4 yellow, and 4 red, explaining,
"Purple is one million."
Hiyori Shiina asked curiously, "Then what color are the ten-million chips?"
The dealer smiled and shook his head. "Chips worth ten million or more are custom-made and usually kept by the manager. With the customer's good fortune, you might have the chance to see one."
In other words—he had never seen one either.
Hiyori thought for a moment, thanked him softly, and collected the chips into her palm one by one.
After the two of them left the table, the girls didn't rush off.
They took a stroll around the center of the hall: There were about twenty sets of tables and chairs in the hall, with students occupying fewer than ten tables.
The game being played was the same as theirs, Texas Hold'em.
It was obvious the school probably didn't intend for the students to engage in too many gambling games. Even the classic dice games weren't available.
"Hiyori, Ibuki, weren't you playing?"
Passing by a table, Minorin, who was standing there watching the cards, called out to them in surprise.
Ibuki crossed her arms and replied casually, "We were, but everyone else lost until only two were left, so there was no game."
Minorin couldn't help but twitch her lips—that's right, it was a familiar outcome to her.
Nearby, Hiyori Shiina listened to their conversation with a silent smile, pausing to observe the situation at the current table.
The table was full with 8 players: from Class A, Machida and Matoba; from Class C, Tokitō; from Class C, the gyaru trio; and from Class D, Karuizawa and Ayanokōji.
No one had many chips, most were around 50,000. The two from Class D had the least, with only a few scattered red chips.
After the dealing round, the players at the table folded one after another, leaving only Ayanokōji and the two from Class A. The three of them were betting cautiously. By the end of the first betting round, the pot was only 8,000 points.
The flop: the dealer spread three community cards on the table: a Diamond 9, a Diamond 10, and a Diamond Jack.
All three chose to bet the minimum of 2,000.
The turn: a Diamond 8.
Class A's Machida raised by 4,000. 'Matoba' folded without hesitation. Ayanokōji seemed to think for a long time before finally calling the 4,000.
The river: a Diamond 6.
'Matoba,' who had already folded, looked at the newly dealt community card with an expression as if he'd just eaten durian, probably because he had missed out on a good hand.
Ayanokōji, acting first, looked at the final community card and unhesitatingly pushed his remaining 2 chips all into the pot.
"A diamond flush?" Seeing his decisiveness, Machida thought for a moment before picking out two chips from his stack and calling. "Sorry, but I don't believe you."
Compared to the 8,000 sunk cost, calling the all-in would only mean losing another 2,000. This was a psychological advantage born from his chip lead, so naturally, he appeared comfortable.
Saying this, Machida revealed his two hole cards: a Diamond Ace and a Diamond Queen.
Across from him, Ayanokōji remained silent for a moment before showing his cards as well: a Diamond Ace and a Diamond Queen.
Their hands were identical, so they split the pot. With the hand over, Ayanokōji's chip stack finally looked less pathetic.
Kei Karuizawa: "You're so lucky. I lent you one chip and you won over ten thousand."
"It's just luck," Ayanokōji said, expressionless. "As we agreed, after the game, we'll split the chips."
"Hmph..." Karuizawa waved her hand impatiently. "Don't get ahead of yourself. Win first, then we'll talk."
Manabe taunted from the side, "Unlike some people, who haven't played a single chip this whole time."
Karuizawa glanced back at her and retorted, "How I play is my business."
Manabe glared. Karuizawa, without hesitation, clung to Ayanokōji's arm and started making small talk with him, while completely ignoring Manabe.
Seeing this, Minorin leaned close to Hiyori's ear and whispered gossip, "This girl Karuizawa is something else. When she came over, she was cozying up to Machida from Class A, and now she's with this Ayanokōji. I heard she's also Class D's Hirata's girlfriend."
Hiyori tilted her head. "Is Manabe-san in conflict with her?"
Minorin whispered back, "I don't know either. Probably just can't stand her."
Receiving such an ambiguous answer, Hiyori Shiina thought for a moment and decided not to dwell on the issue.
After waving goodbye to the girl, Hiyori Shiina and Ibuki walked to the edge of the casino floor, where they saw:
Dozens, hundreds of machines were lined up neatly.
The sounds of buttons being slapped, machines beeping, students exclaiming in surprise—all sorts of chaotic noises were unsettling, and the multicolored lights were painfully bright.
In front of the slot machines, students relentlessly slapped the buttons, their eyes fixed on the spinning screens, their expressions alternating between anguish and ecstasy. Some licked their lips from time to time, as if they had completely forgotten about thirst and fatigue.
Ibuki couldn't help but frown. "Is this really okay?"
Symon couldn't help but complain internally, "This was designed with malicious intent from the start. What's there to be okay or not okay about?"
Hiyori Shiina shook her head but didn't reply.
Compared to the poker tables filled with deceit and covert struggles, the students here were clearly more frantic. She didn't like it here.
With this in mind, the two girls approached a slot machine at the edge of the area, took out their chips, and compared them to the coin slot. They found they didn't match, of course. After exchanging a glance, they were about to turn and leave.
Just then, an attendant saw them lingering there and approached with a smile, asking,
"Do you need to exchange for cash?"
Ibuki was a bit confused. "Cash?"
The attendant nodded with a smile and explained the purpose of exchanging for cash and how to play the slot machines.
Symon listened in and got the gist of it:
The slot machines required cash to play, and refunds were given in the form of a ticket.
This ticket's balance could be read by any machine in the casino, and it could also be cashed out at the front desk.
To put it bluntly, the cash was just something for the students to handle briefly.
As for the rules of the slot machines, they were very simple. After selecting a multiplier, you press the button and wait for the five symbols in the center of the screen to stop. Different combinations result in different payout multipliers.
Hiyori Shiina hesitated for a moment, then took the chips from her pocket. She handed 4 red chips to the attendant and said softly,
"Will this be enough?"
The female attendant took them with both hands, glanced seemingly unintentionally at the purple chips in the girl's hand, took out a Yukichi Fukuzawa bill, inserted it into the coin slot, and deftly set the bet amount to 1,000 per spin for the girl. She said with a smile,
"Since it's your first time playing, please accept this small gift. I hope you have a good time."
Seeing this, Ibuki took out the few red chips from her own pocket, handed them over, and said casually, "Change mine, too."
The attendant's smile didn't fade. She credited her with the same amount and quickly set Ibuki's bet to 100 per spin, then stood quietly to the side.
Following the girl's perspective, Symon watched the entire exchange and quipped internally, "Tsk, tsk, just giving away several thousand points like that. Who would've thought you could find such a good deal these days."
Hiyori Shiina blinked and responded softly, "It seems they don't really want us to leave..."
...
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