Chapter 271: Secret on the Blade

Second Deal—a common cheating trick in gambling.

It refers to skipping the top card and drawing from the second one.

The dealer memorizes the full deck order and decides whether to draw the top or second card depending on the situation. This gives them full control of the game.

Nana had used a fake shuffle to keep the memorized order and decided when to draw which card.

The students were stunned as Rinji used a knife to pin her hand and the deck, exposing her trick.

Nana's forehead dripped with sweat from the pain. Her face was twisted, but Rinji just kept smiling.

"Did you think I didn't see your cheap tricks? Maybe you can fool newbies, but trying to fool me is a fantasy."

As Nana cried out in pain, Rinji pulled the knife out and set it aside.

"Please deal properly, Nana." Rinji smiled. "If it happens again, it won't just be your hand. This knife will go through your heart."

"..."

Nana clutched her bleeding hand, her hateful eyes mixed with fear.

This was probably the first student she'd met who injured someone so mercilessly.

Rinji had no thoughts of sparing her just because she looked good. Anyone who stood in his way was just an obstacle to be crushed.

Receiving a bandage from a friend, Nana wrapped her wounded hand. Her eyes burned with fury as she looked at Rinji.

She had now decided to utterly destroy this boy who scarred her, make him a "housepet."

But...

She looked at her current bet—only ten million yen. Meanwhile, Rinji had casually put up all 500 million.

If she lost, she'd owe five hundred million immediately.

This was the power imbalance caused by unequal funds. The one with more money had an overwhelming advantage.

Calm down. If I win this hand, I'll have 500 million yen. Getting into the student council won't be a dream anymore.

In other words, one match would decide everything.

As long as she won, she could not only escape but also gain a huge sum of money.

He didn't tell me to reshuffle the cards. That's your biggest mistake!

Nana hadn't reshuffled the deck, which meant the current card order still favored her. Even if Rinji played fairly, his chances of winning were very low.

Rinji shook the blood off the small knife in his hand and handed it to Ayame behind him.

"Wipe this off for me."

"Yes!"

Ayame quickly took the knife.

Honestly, the blood on the blade made her a little afraid, but strangely, she didn't feel too repulsed.

In fact, a strange sense of... excitement stirred within her.

She shook her head to push away the odd feeling and took out her handkerchief to clean the blade.

"Hm?"

As she wiped away the blood, she noticed something unusual. When wiping the blade, she felt a bumpy texture, like an engraved pattern.

Once the red stain was completely removed, a delicate pattern—resembling a magic circle—appeared on the blade.

"What is this...?"

While Ayame was still focused on the knife, the match between Rinji and Nana continued.

Rinji currently had a 7 of Spades and a 5 of Hearts. Nana had a face-down card and a 9 of Hearts. Of course, Nana knew her face-down card was a 7 of Hearts.

That's 16 points on my end, and 12 on his. The next cards are 8 of Diamonds and 4 of Spades. If played normally, it's a draw.

Since she couldn't cheat anymore, Nana began carefully planning her next move.

And after that comes an Ace of Spades, 9 of Hearts, 10 of Diamonds, and 3 of Hearts. If dealt in order, I'll hit Blackjack. That means I win.

Even though her hand was still throbbing in pain, a smile spread across Nana's face.

It was like the 500 million yen was already calling her name.

She looked at Rinji and said, "This is tricky. If I lose, I won't be able to pay the 500 million yen."

"That's fine."

Rinji smiled.

"You can pay with your life."

"What..."

"If you owe a debt, you have two choices. First, try to gather 500 million yen within one year. Second, just die. Once you're dead, your debt is cleared. I won't charge your family anything."

As Rinji spoke these terrifying words, his fingers tapped rhythmically on the table, putting immense psychological pressure on Nana.

"So, treasure this moment."

"..."

Nana gritted her teeth. She knew the only way to escape this lunatic was to win this match.

"Takamine, do you want to hit again?"

"Of course."

Hearing this, Nana drew the top card and handed it to Rinji.

Because Rinji had pinned the deck to her hand earlier with a knife, the card now had some blood stains and a hole in the middle.

But it wasn't a big issue; the number was still visible.

Rinji's new card was an 8 of Diamonds.

7 + 5 + 8 = 20.

Seeing everything unfold exactly as planned, Nana breathed a sigh of relief and asked with a smile, "Would you like to hit again, Takamine?"

She already had the answer in her heart.

No sane person would hit at 20. Most people stop at 18.

However, Rinji said immediately, "Hit."

"What?"

"Didn't you hear me?" Rinji repeated. "I said hit. Deal me another card."

Nana was stunned at first, then ecstatic.

The next card was the 4 of Spades. Drawing it would mean going over 21—busting. She would win.

Even with her injured hand, 500 million yen was more than worth it.

Without hesitation, she dealt him the card.

But as the card was revealed, she froze.

It wasn't the 4 of Spades—it was an Ace of Spades.

"Exactly 21 points. I win."

"I win, Nana."

Rinji stood up and looked down at the stunned Nana.

"Now, it's your turn to make a choice."