Chapter 14: Revenge Match

So sleepy… Extremely sleepy…

People who aren’t in clubs usually spend their weekends sleeping in.

They stay up late at night and wake up around noon. That’s probably the typical lifestyle of someone not in a club.

I mean, I haven’t conducted a survey or anything, but I can confidently say this is true.

And yet, here I am, awake before 7 AM on a Saturday and heading out. I’m dying of sleep deprivation.

To people who do morning practice, this might sound like: “What are you complaining about? 7 AM is nothing. I’ll kill you.” But for the average person, waking up this early is a big deal, okay?

The reason I’m out so early is simple: shopping. Thanks to the unexpected jackpot I won in that last gamble, I pocketed over 25,000 yen. Naturally, I decided to spend it on games and manga.

Yeah, there’s no real reason for me to be awake at 7 AM. Game stores and bookstores aren’t even open yet.

So why am I out now? The answer is simple.

If I stay at home, those three yandere girls might show up. If that happens, going out alone would be next to impossible.

“Huh? Sakamoto-san, isn’t it?”

While I was killing time on a bench, zoning out, I heard a familiar voice.

Braided hair, glasses… oh yeah, that’s…

“You’re… from the Board Game Club, right?”

“Ah, I’m honored! I can’t believe you remembered someone like me.”

I’d only met her once, so I wasn’t too sure, but it looks like I was right.

I’m the type who finds running into acquaintances on holidays awkward, but this time it’s even worse. After all, this is one of the people I swindled in that gamble.

…This is just a coincidence, right? She’s not lying in wait to get her money back or something? I mean, it’s way too bright out for that.

Ambushing me sounds unlikely, but this curse has made me paranoid. I’ll probably end up with gynophobia at this rate.

“Oh no, don’t say ‘someone like me’…”

I thought this the last time, too, but does she have a self-esteem issue?

Sure, being a gambling-obsessed high school girl is… unusual, but there’s no need to get that down on yourself.

“Well, I mean… I’m plain-looking, and I have freckles…”

“So what?”

“Aren’t freckles gross? I mean, what kind of girl has freckles…”

Who told her that?

What kind of twisted logic is that? I’ve never even thought about it.

“I think freckles are cute.”

“Huh? Did you just say ‘cute’?!”

“Yeah, I think they suit you. I mean, I don’t mean that in a bad way.”

I get that being overly confident can be annoying, but when someone’s this self-deprecating, it’s hard to handle.

If I praise her the wrong way, it might sound sarcastic.

Telling someone “freckles suit you” could easily be misinterpreted as “you’re ugly, and I’m sugarcoating it.”

“No way, no way. There’s no way someone like you would find me cute.”

What do you even know about me?

For one, I don’t even know your name. I call you “literary girl” based on your appearance, but I don’t actually know if you even like books.

“Look, I’m not exactly Mr. Honest, but calling me a liar is a bit much.”

“No, no, it’s not that… It’s just that… those three girls around you are beautiful, aren’t they?”

Rumors are so annoying for the people involved.

Since when have I been “surrounded” by them?

I’m the prey here, okay?

“I’m not surrounded by anyone. And what does that have to do with this?”

“Well, I thought you were a bit of a… face-chaser.”

This sucks. This really sucks.

I didn’t do anything, but people are spreading all these dumb rumors about me.

“Sure, cute girls are nice, but who doesn’t think that way?”

“I agree. That’s why I… Well, someone like me doesn’t measure up…”

“Learn from others’ mistakes,” they say, right?

This girl is such a great example of what not to do.

She’s a good reminder for me not to get too negative. Being this self-deprecating just makes the people around you uncomfortable.

“If you want to think poorly of yourself, I won’t stop you. But I’m just saying, I personally think you’re cute.”

…Why am I trying so hard to lift her spirits?

Maybe it’s my guilt from taking her money. Yeah, that’s probably it.

You’d understand if you were in my shoes.

Even if the gamble was her idea, winning this much just makes you feel uneasy.

“…Even if it’s just flattery, you said I’m cute, didn’t you? For sure?”

Why do I have a bad feeling about this?

She’s suddenly clinging to my words like they’re some kind of promise. And I think I know where this is going.

I don’t know how exactly, but I’m sure it’ll involve gambling.

“If I’m cute, that means you can see me in a… that kind of way, right?”

“…Uh.”

“So, seeing my underwear would be a plus, wouldn’t it?”

…If I deny it here, won’t she just start chanting something like:

“Ah, so I am ugly, after all. In the end, when you said I was cute, it was just flattery, wasn’t it? Ha, you’re quite the smooth talker, aren’t you? You’re good with words, but when it comes to considering others’ feelings, you’re terrible. Do you have any idea how much you’ve hurt me, Sakamoto-san? Oh, of course, you wouldn’t understand, would you?”

“Don’t ask me something so obvious.”

“T-then! That means it’s valid as a gambling chip, right?”

Ah, I see where this is going now.

Thinking about it, this is the same girl who was ready to sell herself for just 2,000 yen.

If she’s willing to use her underwear as a chip, it must mean she considers it that cheap. Seriously, value yourself more.

Normally, I’d suggest something like, “I’ll give you back some of the money, so let’s stop this, okay?” But with this girl, that’d be a bad move.

If I say that, she’ll enter sutra-chanting mode just like I mentioned earlier.

Besides, from what I heard from the club president, refusing to accept gambling winnings is considered an insult. I get the feeling she’d be scary if I pissed her off.

“Yeah, sure, it’s valid. So how much are we talking?”

“Umm… 2,000 yen… oh, no, wait… 1,000 yen… uh… 500…”

What is this? Is she holding some kind of reverse auction all by herself?

2,000 yen was already cheap, and she’s gone and lowered it to a quarter of that. I haven’t even said anything yet.

“…So what kind of gambling are we talking about? You’re not about to suggest playing chinchirorin out here, are you?”

“Um… The gamble is… to guess the color of my underwear.”

Ah, I see. That explains why the chip value is so low.

I mean, colors? Seriously? How many colors even exist in this world?

“Okay, fine. But what happens if I lose? How do we confirm it?”

“Huh? Well, I’d show you either way…”

…?

Hold on. I’m starting to lose track here.

So, the value lies in seeing the underwear… and that’s being used as the chip…

But win or lose, she’s showing me anyway…?

Wait. Doesn’t something feel off about this?

“So either way, I’ll get to see it, right?”

“That’s right… but… you wouldn’t want to, right? I know, I know. It’s just flattery…”

“I want to. Oh, I absolutely want to see it.”

Whew. That was close. I successfully canceled the sutra. That was a hair’s breadth away…

…Wait. Sutra?

Hold on a second. Normal people don’t chant sutras, right?

Not that monks aren’t normal people or anything—no offense intended.

So, um… does that mean this girl…? Nah, it couldn’t be.

“Fine, I’ll put down 5,000 yen.”

“Huh? Th-that’s too much… My underwear isn’t worth that much…”

“I’m still getting to see it even if I lose, so it’s a bargain.”

To be honest, I don’t want to bet.

Sure, I want to see her panties, but I’d much rather spend 5,000 yen on a game. Sorry, but priorities.

Still, if I lose, I’ll feel a little less guilty about taking all her money. So this works.

It’s what you’d call a win-win situation. I get to see a beautiful girl’s underwear, and she gets to recover a bit of her losses while also experiencing the joy of victory.

“Y-you’re weird, Sakamoto-san. Normally, guys wouldn’t even want to see it for free…”

No, you’re the weird one here.

Normal people don’t suggest gambling on underwear colors.

You’re not some hostess trying to meet her sales quota.

“…If I go by your demure appearance, white seems like the safest bet…”

“…”

As expected of a gambling addict.

She’s got a flawless poker face.

“But girls like you often surprise people. I’m thinking black.”

“…”

Her eyebrow twitched. Just slightly.

Was that a bluff? No, I don’t think she’s that skilled. It didn’t seem intentional. Could it be black?

Wait a second. Maybe she reacted to the word ‘surprise’.

She could’ve taken it as an insult, but I think my deduction is correct: she flinched because I guessed a bold color.

That would rule out light blue, wouldn’t it?

What about pink? Would pink count as a cute color for girls? Or would it be considered a bolder choice?

…Why the hell am I taking this so seriously first thing in the morning?

I just wanted to buy a game, and now I’ve gotten involved in something absurd.

Shouldn’t this conversation have gone a different way? Like: “What are you doing out this early?” or “Wow, you’re up early today.” There are so many normal things we could be talking about.

Why the hell are we gambling on the color of her panties?

“Wait, if you’re suggesting this gamble, does that mean it’s a hard-to-predict color?”

“…”

“Considering your low self-esteem, it might be beige or some other plain color…”

“…”

No reaction.

This gamble was a bad idea from the start. It’s a lose-lose battle, isn’t it?

“…Purple.”

“…Are you sure?”

Stop double-checking. It makes me second-guess myself.

Is this what contestants on quiz shows feel like?

At this point, I don’t care anymore. With a lingering sense of dread, I nod.

“…Too bad, Sakamoto-san.”

She flashes what I can only call a victorious smile.

Still grinning, she casually lowers her pants.

“You were close. It’s white.”

Maybe I overthought it—wait, no! What are you doing pulling down your pants here?! That’s seriously bad!

My eyes dart around nervously, worried someone might see us, but I still can’t look away.

Is this real? Am I dreaming?

Well, I am looking at her panties, so maybe this is a dream.

…What’s with this ribbon? Why is there a ribbon on her panties?

“Oh…”

The sound escapes me involuntarily.

Is it really okay to see a high school girl’s panties for just 5,000 yen?

If it were some sugar baby’s panties, they might be pricey, but these are… wait, hold on.

“O-okay, this isn’t the place for this. Thanks, I get it now, so pull them up already.”

As much as I’d like to keep looking, this is really not okay.

Something’s off here. She should be the one panicking, but why am I the one losing it?

“I-I’m sorry for the unsightly view…”

Blushing, she hurriedly pulls her pants back up.

Her embarrassed expression only makes things worse—stoking the flames even more.

“I lost, but this morning has made me very happy.”

I hand her the 5,000 yen.

If someone sees this, they’ll definitely misunderstand.

A high school girl pulling her pants down and me giving her 5,000 yen—it looks so shady it hurts. And honestly, it is shady, even if it’s a gamble.

“Um, when you say you’re happy… are you serious? Can I really believe that?”

“Yeah. If I’m being honest, I would’ve liked to see the view from behind too.”

This is the bad part about guys.

The moment they feel like they can get away with sexual harassment, they’ll blurt out crap like this.

I said it half-jokingly, but if there’s a chance… well, you know.

“Understood! Then—”

“No, no! Not here. We’re outside, remember?”

If I hadn’t stopped her, she would’ve stripped again.

Is she okay? At this rate, she’s bound to get into trouble someday…

“T-then! Can I come over to your house?”

“…Huh?”

A girl coming to my house?

Sure, I’ve already had Kaede over, but that doesn’t count.

“We could do another gamble… like guessing my bra color, or where my moles are… or even my sensitive spots—”

“Wait, wait, wait! That’s way too far!”

Does gambling really fry your brain this much?

Is she that desperate to win her money back? Or does she just love gambling?

…Or is this, somehow, sexual desire?

“Oh, I know. I’m not worthy, right?”

“That’s not it… it’s just… having you over is a bit much…”

If Kaede finds out, we’re both dead.

My family likes Kaede, too, and they’re weirdly eager to pair us up. Bringing another girl over would be asking for trouble.

“Then how about karaoke?”

She’s relentless.

Are high school girls these days always this bold?

“There are cameras in karaoke rooms. That’s no good.”

“Then how about a manga café…?”

“Same issue. They have cameras too.”

At this rate, the only place without cameras would be a hotel.

But high school girls shouldn’t be going to places like that—especially not for a gamble.

“Then let’s go to the library! The back area doesn’t have many people…”

Now that she mentions it, I do remember the library here having some empty spaces in the back.

Probably because it’s full of economics and law books.

Back in elementary school, we’d sometimes hang out there… of course, we got scolded for it.

“Let’s calm down, okay? Take a deep breath.”

Even if there aren’t cameras, you can’t just flash your underwear in a public library.

If it were just a sneaky glimpse, maybe… but with her, she’d take off her whole outfit.

“How about under the bridge by the river? There’s one nearby, right?”

…Does she just want to strip?

She looks so innocent, but apparently not.

“No matter where, it’s not okay. At least let’s play cards or something…”

“Why? The library or under the bridge should be fine! You said I had value as a woman, so I decided to bet my pitiful body as a chip, and now you’re rejecting me? You even hugged me before! That moment moved me to tears. If I were a dog, I’d have peed myself from joy. For someone like me, who has no worth or beauty, being hugged made me feel like a person for once—like I was worth more than 2,000 yen. But you, Sakamoto-san, you lead weak women like me on with your sweet words, give us hope, and then crush us. You don’t understand how terrifying that is. It’s like bungee jumping off a cliff… except there’s no rope. Weaklings like me can only fall straight to the concrete below. You smile so casually, but for someone like me, that smile is poisonous—deadly, even…”

This girl is cursed too.

She’s acting like I ruined her life and is casually suggesting self-harm.

Why do I have to be guilt-tripped for refusing a gamble?

“I know you don’t have time for someone like me, but can you spare ten minutes? Just ten minutes of your precious life? Before I die, I want to experience joy as a woman—just once. I know this must be a nightmare for you, but please, watch me as I… touch myself while thinking of you. Don’t look away. See it through to the end. You owe me that much. You—”

“Hey! How about we gamble instead!”

“Huh? What should I bet…?”

“If I win, give me a kiss!”

“A kiss? From someone like me…?”

“It has to be you! Bet on it! You’re a gambler, aren’t you?!”

“…Yes! Let’s settle this, fair and square…!”

There we go!

For the record, today’s gambles ended with one win and one loss. Not a bad result, all things considered.