Chapter 280: The Sacrificial Piece

"Ha… finally done handing out all those flyers."

"Thanks for the hard work."

After handing out the last flyer, Midari wiped sweat from her forehead—not because she was tired, just from the monotony.

Ayame had also finished passing hers out.

They weren't just standing in crowded hallways giving them to random people. They specifically targeted students who looked like potential candidates—especially those wanting to quit gambling.

Many were students labeled as livestock, or came from poor families.

As for how they identified the poor students—Midari had been on the student council. She wasn't into this work, but she knew how to get info.

"Ugh, this is so annoying. Instead of looking for quitters, I'd rather play Russian roulette."

Midari scratched the back of her head, clearly annoyed.

"That's dangerous," Ayame said gently. "I don't think it's a good idea—"

"Huh? What kind of nonsense is that? It's fun because it's dangerous."

"…."

Ayame gave up. She couldn't communicate with this person.

As they passed the field near the school building, they saw a group of students staring at a large screen.

On it, Rinji and the wheelchair-bound Kiwatari were facing each other.

"Rinji? What's he doing there?" Midari frowned. "Runa's there too?"

"Looks like they're gambling," Ayame whispered.

"Gambling? Isn't he from the Anti-Gambling Club? Why would he start a gamble himself?"

"Maybe someone who came to the club for help got scammed. That's how he got money from Runa back then to save me."

"Tch. What a bore." Midari clicked her tongue.

Ayame kept staring at the screen, her head lowering as she started thinking.

Something didn't feel right.

If Rinji was just helping someone, why not gamble in a classroom like usual? Why go all out with a school-wide broadcast and even invite the council?

Could it be... to promote the club?

Then the screen showed Rinji sliding the phone to Kiwatari, ending on the image of Kiwatari's father held at gunpoint.

"That's…"

"He's threatening someone's family."

"So cruel. Doesn't the council care about this kind of thing?"

They should, Ayame thought. And why even broadcast something like this? This is…!!!

Her eyes widened.

She finally realized something she hadn't considered before. This might be Rinji's real plan.

"Hey, let's go. This crap's boring—whoa, what's with that look in your eyes?"

Midari turned and saw Ayame's eyes sharpen like daggers, her face suddenly intense. Even she looked intrigued.

"What's wrong? Want to watch Rinji win this gamble in style?"

"No."

Ayame's tone was indifferent as she lightly pushed her glasses with her finger.

"This isn't a gamble. It's just part of Rinji-kun's plan."

"Huh?"

"I misunderstood from the start. Winning or losing was never the point." Ayame stared at the large screen, her gaze locked on Rinji. "The moment this 'gamble' began, Rinji-kun had already won."

"What? What do you mean?"

Midari questioned her in confusion, but Ayame simply shook her head, her tone still cold.

"If my guess is right, this student named Kiwatari Jun... will die. And it will happen under the watchful eyes of the entire student body."

"..."

———————————————————————————

"You... you actually..."

"Kiwatari, you can make your choice now," Rinji said with a smile. "Will you bet or not?"

"I..."

Kiwatari had never imagined his father would one day have a gun pointed at him.

His arrogance at school came largely from relying on his father, the county governor. He never thought that powerful figure would be threatened like this.

In reality, Rinji hadn't actually targeted his father. The photo he showed was fake, photoshopped. Kidnapping a county governor wasn't something you could pull off quickly.

But Kiwatari couldn't tell.

"Give me a straight answer, Kiwatari. Will you bet?"

"...Bet what?"

"A lot of good things."

Rinji grinned.

"For example, your broken leg—I have the means to fully restore it. And if you win, you'll receive 500 million yen."

"..."

Very tempting.

Even without the 500 million, just the chance to restore his leg was enough to shake him. No one wants to spend the rest of their life in a wheelchair.

"There are a lot of benefits, but Kiwatari, do you really have something of equal value to bet against me? Can you offer something worth 500 million?"

"...No."

Of course he couldn't.

At most, he had about 10 million yen at his disposal.

"No worries. You do have something else worth that much."

"W-What?"

Rinji smiled slightly and said:

"Your life, of course."

"Huh?"

"Pause the match."

Runa suddenly spoke up.

"According to the current student council rules, betting one's life isn't allowed, because—"

"No need for explanations, Yomozuki-san," Rinji said coolly.

"You're just the judge. You don't need to concern yourself with anything else."

"..."

Runa stared coldly at Rinji for a few seconds, then suddenly smirked.

"This was your plan all along, wasn't it? Even I was just a pawn."

"Of course."

"You're really this eager to take down President Kirari?"

"Yeah. After all, your Hyakkaou Private Academy isn't nearly as fun as Shuchiin." Rinji turned to her with a smile. "This is one of the rare games I'm actually enjoying."