Chapter 270: This Is a Matter of Life and Death

In a second-year classroom, a group of students was gambling.

"Nana-san, it seems like you've won quite a bit again today."

"Yeah, that poor guy just lost another three million yen."

"As expected of Nana-san. You're amazing."

In the classroom, several girls surrounded a beautiful girl with long straight black hair, constantly offering flattering words.

That's how this school always was. Students good at gambling were admired by others.

One of the girls smiled and asked, "Ayame's already lost ten million yen to you, right? Can she really pay it back?"

"No need to worry~"

Nana gave a graceful smile.

"I've already found some buyers. A few greasy middle-aged uncles really like Ayame. If she entertains a few more clients every night, the money will be paid back in no time~"

"Nana-sana, you're so kind."

The girls giggled, showing no sympathy for their classmate's situation.

Bang.

The classroom door suddenly opened, and Nureba Ayame stepped in gracefully.

She was immediately noticed by the girls who had been talking.

Nana saw it was Ayame, stood up with a smile, and said, "Ayame, how about one more bet?"

As she said this, the girls beside her secretly laughed, knowing Ayame was about to be humiliated again.

Ayame gritted her teeth and gathered her courage. "No, I'm not here to gamble."

"Huh?"

Nana's smiling face turned cold.

"Hey, what do you mean? I'm giving you a chance. Owe me money and now you're disobeying? This is your shot at a comeback..."

Though fear lingered in her heart, Ayame shoved Nana aside and threw several stacks of cash on the table.

A full ten million yen in cash.

"What..."

"I'm not gambling with you anymore," Ayame said loudly. "I've paid you back, so don't bother me again!"

"...Where did you get that kind of money?"

Nana's expression darkened.

She had counted on Ayame being unable to repay, forcing her into deeper debt and despair. There was no way Ayame could produce ten million yen.

Let alone ten million, even one million was out of reach. Where had she gotten it?

"It was..."

"It was from me."

Just as Ayame was about to answer, Rinji appeared behind her, carrying a briefcase.

Nana noticed him too.

Dressed in a black uniform that didn't resemble the school's, with golden hair and a clean, attractive face—a beautiful boy.

"You lent her that money?"

"No," Rinji smiled. "I gave it to her. Consider it me helping pay her debt."

"Eh..."

Nana froze.

Her first thought was that Ayame had sold herself to him. After all, what was the difference between this and compensated dating?

But then again, this was a good-looking boy. If it were real clients, they'd be fat, greasy, balding old men.

And he casually handed out ten million... This kind of person...

Tch, Ayame luck is unreal.

Though she thought so, Nana didn't show it.

After all, the boy in front of her was not only rich but handsome. Best not to offend him.

She tucked a lock of black hair behind her ear and smiled. "My name is Nana Ootori. And how should I address you?"

"Takamine."

Rinji didn't give a full name. He pulled out a chair and sat across from her.

"President of the Anti-Gambling Club."

"Anti... Anti-Gambling Club?"

Nana looked confused. She thought she'd misheard.

How could there be an Anti-Gambling Club in a school where gambling was everything? Would the student council even allow it?

"Relax. The student council approved it." Rinji smiled. "Actually, I came here because I have something to discuss with you, Nana."

"You need help with something?"

"No, no. I just want to have a couple of games with you."

Rinji smiled, placing the briefcase on the table.

He opened it, and everyone in the classroom stared, wide-eyed.

It was packed with bundles of 10,000 yen bills.

"This is..."

"Funds. Not much, just 500 million yen."

"Fi... Five hundred million..."

To Nana, that was an astronomical amount.

She'd bullied Ayame all semester and only earned ten million. With this kind of money, she could easily enter the student council.

She swallowed hard and smiled at Rinji. "Well... I don't have enough funds to match that."

"You don't need to. This is just for fun, no entry requirements. Besides, 500 million isn't a big deal to me." Rinji grinned. "This is my first day at Hyakkaou Academy. I'm not very familiar with the gambling here."

"..."

Nana began thinking.

Rinji clearly looked naïve and new to the school. He probably didn't understand how cruel this place could be.

And he seemed rich and good-looking. If she could make him her boyfriend, that'd be a huge win. But...

She glanced at Ayame.

Damn it, she got to him first? Then there's only one option left.

Nana gave a sweet smile and took out a deck of cards.

"How about Blackjack? Minimum bet: ten million."

"Sure."

The game began.

Ayame shuffled the cards while keeping her eyes on Rinji.

She wasn't really shuffling. She wanted to see if Rinji would notice. When he didn't react at all, she was sure he had no clue about cheating techniques.

"Let's begin."

Nana acted as the dealer. She placed one facedown card and gave Rinji two cards: 7 of Spades and 5 of Hearts. Her visible cards were 7 of Hearts and 9 of Hearts.

"Takamine, would you like to hit?"

"Hit."

"Alright."

Nana smiled and prepared to draw a card.

But the moment she did, Rinji suddenly pulled a small knife from his pocket and stabbed it forward!

"Ahhh!!!"

Nana's pretty face twisted in pain and she screamed as her hand and the deck were pinned together with the knife. Blood soaked the cards.

The card she had tried to draw was the second card from the top.

With a cruel smile, Rinji grabbed her head. "Little girl, did you think I wouldn't touch you just because you're good-looking? Let me tell you, once you sit at the gambling table, it's no longer just about winning or losing. It's about life and death."