Chapter 272: Shut the Door

Nana was absolutely sure Rinji had cheated.

But she had no idea how, because he had never touched the card order.

The blood stains and knife holes were clear evidence that this was the original deck she had prepared. How did he manage to switch cards without touching them?

With no proof, she couldn't accuse him.

What would she even say—"That card wasn't supposed to be an Ace"? That would just expose her as the real cheater.

More importantly, the student council didn't investigate cheating.

One of this school's core gambling rules was: cheating is not forbidden.

In the world of winners and losers, being tricked only proves you're stupid. That's the student council's motto.

And now, she owed 500 million yen.

There was no way to recover from that.

"Make your choice, Nana."

Rinji spoke as he looked at Nana, who was trembling, drenched in cold sweat.

"Pay it back within a year, or die. Don't worry—there's no interest."

That might sound generous, but 500 million yen was an astronomical amount. Even without interest, it was impossible for her to repay.

Let alone gather that much money—Rinji had taken all her capital. Even in this school where gambling was allowed, she couldn't afford to bet anymore.

She was completely ruined.

"If you can't choose, let me choose for you."

Rinji smiled, took his knife back from Ayame, and placed it against Nana's pale neck.

"Like I said before: once you're dead, the debt is wiped clean. You won't die with regrets."

"..."

With the cold blade against her neck and the strange looks from her classmates, Nana was overwhelmed. The pain from her pierced palm caused cold sweat to pour from her body.

Thud.

Eventually, everything went black and she collapsed, fainting.

Not a single person stepped up to help her. From the moment she lost, she had already become a "housepet" in the eyes of her so-called "friends."

None of her classmates wanted to be around a housepet.

"Tch."

Rinji put the knife back in his pocket, picked up the ten million yen Ayame had used to repay her debt, and headed for the classroom door.

"Send her to the infirmary. She can't escape her decision."

---

"Um…"

"What is it?"

"Thank you so much."

Behind him, Ayame bowed at a ninety-degree angle, full of gratitude. Rinji had freed her from Nana's control.

If not for Rinji, her future would've been forced into the adult industry, entertaining clients with no hope for a better life.

"No need to thank me. I already said, anyone who comes to the Anti-Gambling Club, I'll help."

Rinji smiled and handed her a document.

"This is…"

"The anti-gambling agreement. There's also a withdrawal form." Rinji said, "Once you sign this, you can't gamble again. That's what we agreed on, right?"

"Yes."

Ayame took the documents, and Rinji handed her a pen.

She quickly signed the anti-gambling agreement, but hesitated on the withdrawal form.

"Takamine-kun…"

"Yeah?"

"I don't want to quit school just yet," Ayame said.

"Huh?" Rinji blinked. "If you don't quit, what do you plan to do? This school is nothing but gambling…"

"I want to join the Anti-Gambling Club."

"..."

Rinji looked at her and saw that the timid look behind her glasses had changed—she now had a firm, resolute expression. It was like she was a different person.

"You sure?"

"I'm sure," Ayame said calmly, unlike before. "There are still too many people in this school who need to be brought down. You probably need help, and even if I'm not much use, I can at least help spread the message."

"...Fine." Rinji smiled. "You're in, my new club member."

"Thank you."

---

After settling Ayame's situation, Rinji found Nanami in the clubroom, and the two headed toward the classroom.

Of course, Rinji wasn't going to class—he never planned to from the start.

He just needed to grab their bags and return to the clubroom to make some posters for the Anti-Gambling Club.

He only had one month in this school world. Even though he was dragged here because of Momobami's tricks, Rinji never once thought, I'll just bear it for a month and leave.

Since he was here, he had to stir things up.

Either turn this place into a proper school with no gambling… or into a living hell.

Good or bad—Rinji had no plans to leave empty-handed.

"Rinji, is Nubera joining the club?"

"Yeah, she's our new member. That makes three of us in the Anti-Gambling Club now," Rinji smiled. "As vice president, make sure you take care of the newcomer, okay?"

"...Understood."

Finding out another girl had joined the club, Nanami let out a small sigh.

When they reached the classroom, she hesitated at the door for a few seconds before summoning the courage to open it.

In the past, she had constantly been bullied by students here, which made entering the classroom a terrifying experience. But now, with Rinji beside her, that fear had somewhat lessened.

Click.

"This is..."

The moment the door opened, Nanami gasped and covered her mouth in shock.

Rinji entered right after her, and his expression turned dark in an instant.

Both his and Nanami's schoolbags had been slashed up with scissors. The contents were strewn across the floor, ruined and scattered.

"Takamine-kun..."

Without responding to her, Rinji stepped into the classroom, his voice low.

"Who did this?"

No one answered. The students kept busy with their own things, but the occasional snickers didn't escape Rinji's ears.

"Nanami, step outside for a bit."

"...Okay."

She hesitated but stepped out.

The moment she left, Rinji shut the door behind her—and locked it.