A gambling game with a hint of risqué always stirred up desire and impulse more easily.
At least for men, that was true.
Which man wouldn't like it?
Win, and a girl takes off her clothes—and a beautiful girl at that.
Both Yukino Yukinoshita and Rui Tachibana were lovely girls.
Purely as far as personal impulse went, Lin Ye did have a certain interest in the idea, and a few thoughts about it.
However,
thinking it over rationally,
he obviously couldn't do this.
With Yukino Yukinoshita and Mai Sakurajima, there'd be no problem at all. Add Ryou Fujibayashi and it would still be fine, and Lin Ye could even accept Kyou Fujibayashi.
But Rui Tachibana really wasn't appropriate.
If he actually did something like that with Rui Tachibana, the blue-haired girl would surely have even greater hopes rekindled.
At a time like this, he couldn't give her any ideas or hopes in that direction.
So he had to refuse.
"Fine by me,"
Rui Tachibana spoke up first.
She was shy, but if it was Lin Ye, she could accept it.
Yukino Yukinoshita knew exactly how Rui Tachibana felt about Lin Ye now. As long as it won Lin Ye's heart back, Rui Tachibana would probably do anything.
The girl was already this far gone for Lin Ye.
She'd fallen deep.
Then again, it was understandable, wasn't it?
She had already given her body to Lin Ye and believed they'd shared the most intimate bond possible. Even if they were technically broken up now, her affection and feelings for him would only grow, not shrink.
Asking Rui Tachibana to simply let go and give up was surely harder than climbing to heaven.
That was probably how it was.
Yukino Yukinoshita thought quietly to herself.
She felt that only time would let Rui Tachibana let go. At least for now, Lin Ye's attitude toward her all but guaranteed he would never accept her.
The one she still worried about was Mai Sakurajima.
And that nurse, Fujibayashi, put a certain amount of pressure on her as well.
Iroha Isshiki wasn't a problem at all.
As for my sister… well, that's a matter for another time.
At least Lin Ye had no interest in her sister and no ideas in that direction. Otherwise, her sister would have been eaten down to the last crumb long ago.
"No, it's not a good idea,"
But Lin Ye refused.
Rui Tachibana's eyes dimmed at the words.
Her first thought was of herself. She figured it was because of her that Lin Ye was refusing. Otherwise, he wouldn't have.
Who wouldn't want to play this kind of poker game, so full of anticipation and risqué thrills, with a girl they liked?
She, for one, would have been more than willing. If she were a man, she'd have been the very first to agree, not refuse like Lin Ye, looking like he couldn't care less.
"Is Lin-kun afraid of losing?"
Rui Tachibana suddenly raised her voice.
"What's a boy taking off a few clothes, anyway?"
"If it's nothing to me, then the bet isn't fair,"
That was Lin Ye's reason, and it was a decent one.
"Then…"
Rui Tachibana pointed at Lin Ye. "If Lin-kun loses, then… accompany, accompany… me… on a date,"
Asking him to sleep with her again—Rui Tachibana was sure he wouldn't agree.
In that case,
she'd change it.
Something that kept some connection between them, but that Lin Ye could accept.
"There's no need,"
"So Lin-kun doesn't dare. You're backing out of the fight."
Rui Tachibana's words were obviously provocation, a deliberate goad.
Lin Ye knew that, of course, and he wasn't someone who fell for it that easily.
So,
he refused again in a flat tone.
Rui Tachibana pursed her lips, full of frustration.
She was so frustrated. Against Lin Ye, it was failure after failure.
In the end,
she lifted her small head and fixed her gaze on Yukino Yukinoshita.
She said nothing, yet it was as though she'd said everything.
Yukino Yukinoshita understood.
She knew what Rui Tachibana meant.
She wanted to play!
Though honestly, Yukino Yukinoshita wasn't all that… keen herself.
"Student Lin, you're scared too, aren't you?"
"…"
Lin Ye hadn't expected Yukino Yukinoshita to get dragged into this, either.
Nor had he expected her to be willing to go all out for Rui Tachibana's sake.
That really was… a surprise.
"What I'm afraid of is that a certain girl won't have the nerve, and when the time comes she'll refuse to pay up on a lost bet,"
Yukino Yukinoshita snorted and shot him a look. "Rest assured, I, Yukino Yukinoshita, always pay what I lose. I will never default,"
She had total confidence in her own word.
If things between her and Lin Ye were normal, with none of that intimate, ambiguous contact, she really would have felt constrained and worried. But now, apart from the very last step, they had done everything else. And last night, she, she had even done that…
Compared to that, taking off a piece of clothing after a loss was nothing at all.
Yukino Yukinoshita felt no psychological pressure whatsoever.
"So you're the one who's afraid, right, Student Lin?"
This time,
Yukino Yukinoshita used mocking words too, her dark navy eyes brimming with teasing.
"Lin-kun,"
Under the gaze of the two girls, Lin Ye shrugged helplessly. "Yukinoshita, you do know who you're playing cards against, right? Do you two really think you have a chance?"
"Of course…"
But her voice trailed off halfway.
Yukino Yukinoshita had remembered something: Lin Ye's ability.
Perspective.
It was perspective.
How could they possibly beat someone playing cards with a perspective hack?
They couldn't. There was no way to win.
"No cheating,"
Yukino Yukinoshita said immediately.
"That's my own skill,"
"No."
But Yukino Yukinoshita's attitude was firm.
If Lin Ye used perspective, they wouldn't have the slightest chance.
Rui Tachibana didn't understand what was going on, but she guessed that Lin Ye had some kind of ability that kept him from losing.
So…
Was there any point in continuing a game they were bound to lose?
Rui Tachibana grew flustered and a little worried, yet she had no desire to leave or call it off.
If anything, she felt they had to keep going.
They had to play this round of poker.
Even if she lost, it was still a form of emotional exchange, wasn't it?
That was what Rui Tachibana thought.
"I can go without it, but Yukino…"
Lin Ye showed his true colors.
Yukino had long since seen this coming. "Go on, then. What do you want me to do?"
"It's simple, too. If I win, tonight is the same as last night,"
Yukino Yukinoshita's eyelid twitched at once.
She immediately realized what Lin Ye was after.
That bastard.
How despicable.
Her hands were still sore!
Another night of the same intense work as last night? How could she possibly take it?
Feeling the weakness in her arms, Yukino Yukinoshita pursed her lips and gritted her teeth. She hated it, but in the end she nodded.
Since she'd already decided to get Lin Ye into this card game, she really couldn't back out now.
As long as Lin Ye didn't use his perspective skill, she was confident she wouldn't lose to him. Even if she did lose, she wouldn't lose badly.
They could calculate by points, with something happening each time a certain amount was reached.
That was Yukino Yukinoshita's thinking.
"So, Yukino, you've agreed?"
"Yes, I agree,"
Yukino Yukinoshita declared her stance.
"I have no problem with it either,"
Rui Tachibana spoke up too. She certainly had no objection to this. As far as Lin Ye was concerned, she had nothing left to lose.
Being seen by Lin Ye?
He had already seen every inch of her once, and she had already been played with inside and out. She didn't need to hold anything back anymore.
To Lin Ye, she no longer had any secrets.
In that case,
what else did she need to fear?
"Since you both have made up your minds, I'll play along,"
Lin Ye spoke up as well. It was a bet he couldn't lose, so he had no need to say much.
"No cheating,"
Yukino Yukinoshita reminded him. "No cheating methods of any kind."
She insisted on it.
Perspective aside, who knew what other special skills Lin Ye might have?
So, just in case, Yukino Yukinoshita decided to shut down every possibility on that front.
"Fine,"
Lin Ye agreed.
Seeing his cooperative attitude,
Yukino Yukinoshita finally nodded to show it was acceptable.
She still had some hesitation and worry, but in the end she accepted it and decided not to make Lin Ye promise anything further.
"Then let's begin. Any ordinary poker game will do,"
Lin Ye thought of something and added, "Here's what we'll do. I'll suggest the games, and you and Tachibana can choose whether to use them."
"All right,"
Yukino Yukinoshita agreed.
"Then everyone starts with a hundred points. The time limit is five o'clock this afternoon, and any game deliberately dragged out past that is void,"
Lin Ye proposed a few additional rules to keep the games as fair as possible.
Yukino Yukinoshita saw no problem with any of them.
But she and Rui Tachibana began discussing them anyway, talking over possible problems. Only after confirming there were none did they officially begin.
The three of them settled how the points would be used.
For example, whoever lost all of their hundred points would have to take off one piece of clothing.
That was the exchange rate.
And the points for a date with Lin Ye were… zero.
Lin Ye kept himself in check.
Even without perspective, he felt sure he'd win.
He was confident about it.
Even without superpowers or skills, his physical condition and powers of observation alone were enough to win most of the games.
"All right, shall we begin?"
Lin Ye took out the deck and started shuffling.
When he finished, Yukino Yukinoshita shuffled and cut the cards.
At last,
Lin Ye got ready to deal.
"Blackjack. The rules are simple,"
He explained the rules to the two of them.
Rui Tachibana had never played, but she'd picked up a little from TV and the internet.
So,
she had at least a rough idea of the game.
"Then… let's begin!"
Yukino Yukinoshita looked at the two cards in her hand: a ten and an eight.
Eighteen.
That was already quite a high total.
Naturally, she chose not to take another card.
Rui Tachibana looked at her own cards. Fifteen.
Not high, but not low either.
Anything under six was fine, but anything over six, and she'd bust.
"Hit me,"
In the end, Rui Tachibana chose to take a card.
Lin Ye dealt.
It was a 3.
Yukino Yukinoshita: ???
If she'd been dealt that 3, wouldn't she have won this round for sure?
In that moment,
Yukino Yukinoshita was filled with regret.
Sometimes you had to gamble!
Huff, huff.
She took deep breaths to steady her emotions.
Though she was telling herself she should have gambled, on the whole, by the odds, she still leaned toward standing pat.
Besides, in this round her opponent wasn't Rui Tachibana but Lin Ye, the dealer.
As long as she beat Lin Ye,
she'd win.
"Student Tachibana, are you hitting again?"
"Hit me,"
Even holding eighteen, Rui Tachibana asked for another card.
"Student Tachibana, that total's already very high. It's easy to bust past twenty-one,"
Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help warning her.
She didn't know why Rui Tachibana was doing this, but as her teammate, she felt she had to speak up.
"I've decided to hit. My mind is made up. Deal it to me, Lin-kun!"
"All right,"
Lin Ye dealt the card.
The two of clubs.
Two points.
Yukino Yukinoshita: ???
That was the second time.
She was truly stunned.
Another small number.
Rui Tachibana's hand was now twenty.
If, if the next card were an ace, then… Rui Tachibana would be soaring! Wouldn't Lin Ye be paying out until he was ruined?
"Student Tachibana's luck isn't bad. That's already twenty. Why not take one more? If it's an ace, your hand would be the strongest there is,"
Lin Ye said with a smile.
"Don't fall for it, Student Tachibana. The chance of an ace is tiny, tiny. There are four aces plus the jokers. Even if all six cards were still in the deck, it's only 13.6%,"
In terms of probability, it was truly minuscule.
There was no need at all to gamble on those odds.
Twenty was already very, very strong.
"I won't take another,"
Rui Tachibana made her choice.
Twenty was enough. That was how she saw it, too.
"Fine. My turn,"
Lin Ye flipped his cards.
Two nines. Eighteen.
At that moment,
Yukino Yukinoshita's eyelid twitched.
If Lin Ye stopped there, she'd be slaughtered by the dealer.
What rotten luck.
She sighed inwardly.
"Lin-kun, are you hitting? I have twenty,"
Rui Tachibana laid her cards face up outright.
Good, good,
Yukino Yukinoshita thought, unable to hold it in.
With Rui Tachibana's hand revealed,
Lin Ye would most likely draw, and the odds of him going over twenty-one were high.
Then she wouldn't lose. She'd win instead.
In that moment, Yukino Yukinoshita felt grateful to Rui Tachibana.
She really owed it all to Rui Tachibana's ferocity.
"Fine. Since Student Tachibana put it that way, I'll draw,"
As he spoke, Lin Ye dealt and flipped the card.
The Ace of Spades lay face up.
Rui Tachibana fell silent and still. Staring at that Ace of Spades, she almost wanted to cry.
If she'd gambled, then… this time she could have bankrupted Lin Ye!
But she'd missed it. She'd just let it slip away.
Rui Tachibana pursed her lips, her heart trembling.
Yukino Yukinoshita's mood was hardly any better.
She could barely believe it was real, but the cards were laid out right there before her eyes, and she had no choice but to accept it.
At the same time,
she couldn't help but suspect something.
Had Lin Ye really not cheated?
…
…
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