'How troublesome' Kamuro Masumi thought as she rubbed her temples as if suffering from a headache.
Although she was an art club member, she had only been there to pass time!
Sakayanagi Arisu truly held too many unrealistic expectations of her.
Just recalling how Sakayanagi Arisu made her practice sketching gave Kamuro Masumi another headache.
She knew exactly what her skill level was.
Merely an amateur who had just started learning.
Meanwhile, Shiranami Chihiro on the opposite side had reportedly learned drawing in middle school, making her more experienced.
The school would provide the theme, requiring them to complete a sketch both quickly and well within 60 minutes, with the Command Tower only allowed to provide guidance from the side.
Wasn't this purely a competition of experience and technique between the two?
The sketching model was the supervising teacher.
Kamuro Masumi alternated between observing the teacher's face and making strokes with her pencil, occasionally hearing Sakayanagi Arisu's guidance.
Yes, the short girl also knew some drawing techniques.
Despite this, Kamuro Masumi felt she still couldn't catch up with Shiranami Chihiro opposite her.
Though both were in the same club, they rarely exchanged greetings.
However, Kamuro Masumi knew Shiranami Chihiro's skills were considerably better than hers, as the senior members seemed quite fond of her.
"No, your perspective is off. Darken the side a bit more..."
Sakayanagi Arisu suddenly stopped because Shiranami Chihiro on the opposite side had already put down her pencil.
Kamuro Masumi looked at her own drawing board, then turned her gaze toward the camera.
"I really want to help you, but drawing isn't something you can master with last-minute practice."
Sakayanagi Arisu seemed to remain silent for a moment before speaking through the intercom.
"Finish it."
Kamuro Masumi picked up her pencil and continued drawing, though she knew her chances of winning were slim—not just because of her lack of skill, but also because of the limited time.
The shorter the time, the higher the demands on the artist.
One hour was barely enough for her to manage the composition normally, let alone compete against Shiranami Chihiro.
This wasn't speed sketching.
...
Watching the screen before her, Sakayanagi Arisu's eyes burned with unwilling flames.
She never expected Ichinose Honami would actually use sketching as a real competition event.
No, even if it was sketching, she had once thought she had a chance.
With Masumi... no, she should have approached this Chihiro beforehand, slowly breaking this little girl down so she couldn't participate in the exam.
Sakayanagi Arisu regretted it.
She had actually done nothing and simply watched her opponent take the stage.
She had actually made this particularly grave mistake.
However, she forgot one thing.
Even if she had really approached Shiranami Chihiro, what could she have done?
Drugged her like Ryuen did?
Or tried to bribe Shiranami Chihiro?
Going further, like how she dealt with Ichinose Honami, uncover Shiranami Chihiro's past and deliver a heavy blow?
All these possibilities flashed through Sakayanagi Arisu's mind, only to vanish one by one, leaving behind a single thought.
It seemed she wasn't as unscrupulous as she had imagined herself to be?
She really hadn't done enough.
Because she hadn't done enough, she lost.
She should have been more ruthless, should have left her opponent with no opportunities at all, so she wouldn't be here filled with regret and resentment.
No, she should have acted earlier.
During the training camp exam, if she had cooperated with Nagumo Miyabi, she could have made Kaoru lose once.
During the sports festival, she could have made Kaoru suffer heavy losses.
No, no, she could have acted even earlier.
During the summer vacation on the uninhabited island, if she hadn't just watched from the sidelines, if she had intervened sooner, Hashimoto Masayoshi wouldn't have disappeared like meat thrown to dogs.
If from the very beginning, if she could have...
"The score is ninety to seventy-six, Class B's victory."
Chabashira Sae announced the score given by the art teacher, which was also the result of the sixth event.
Hearing this, Sakayanagi Arisu's heart trembled slightly.
She knew this was her failure, her lack of ruthlessness.
"Sakayanagi-san." Ichinose Honami suddenly spoke, "You're too proud. Even now, you're only thinking about Kaoru, aren't you?"
"Yes, because you helped him defeat me."
Sakayanagi Arisu looked at her coldly.
"That may be the result, but that wasn't my intention."
Ichinose Honami said, "I'm just very dissatisfied that your eyes never once looked at me. You treated this exam as a game with him, without caring about anyone else's thoughts."
Sakayanagi Arisu found this absurd and retorted, "Whose thoughts should I care about?"
"You don't even care about your opponent. How could you possibly win?"
Ichinose Honami fired back with another question.
"Sorry, I can't understand what you're saying."
Sakayanagi Arisu sneered. She didn't care?
If she didn't care, she wouldn't have studied Class B for a year, and she certainly wouldn't regret not having eliminated Shiranami Chihiro in advance.
"Haven't you noticed how particularly focused you are on winning and losing right now?" Ichinose Honami asked.
Of course she cared - if she lost, there was only one outcome waiting for her.
How could she not care?
"The more you care, the more afraid you are of losing, the more likely you are to lose, Sakayanagi-san."
Ichinose Honami's eyes seemed to convey sympathy.
Sakayanagi Arisu immediately flared up. What was with that look?
"I won't lose the final match!"
"You've said that countless times already."
"Heh, stop putting on that smug, conceited expression."
"..."
Ichinose Honami sighed softly.
In truth, from the moment Sakayanagi Arisu voiced her original plan aloud, she had subconsciously known that she couldn't possibly win all seven matches in a row.
She was simply resisting this thought.
So, Sakayanagi Arisu is getting anxious.
This little princess is inherently extremely proud—she believes that if she wants to win, she will undoubtedly win.
But since she considers herself a genius, she would never resort to methods like those of Ryuen Kakeru.
Her pride is so immense that she doesn't even bother to give Ichinose Honami a proper glance.
Because of this, the more Sakayanagi Arisu realizes she might lose, the more she finds it unacceptable.
Unable to accept the possibility of defeat, she tries to rationalize—if only she had dealt with Shiranami Chihiro earlier, if only she had taken action against Kaoru sooner.
Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs."
Even if given another chance, Sakayanagi Arisu would continue to lose for the same reasons.
Her pride prevented her from eliminating Kaoru early on, and now, of course, she can't eliminate Ichinose Honami either. It's her nature—unchangeable.
"Chabashira-sensei, please begin the final event." Ichinose Honami said.
Chabashira Sae nodded.
She seemed to have gathered some interesting gossip and wondered if she could use it to pressure Kaoru.
"The final event is Texas Hold'em."
Almost simultaneously, both girls were somewhat surprised.
"Heh, it seems your luck is slightly better."
Sakayanagi Arisu showed a fearless smile.
She only allowed herself to lose one match—losing another would mean defeat to Ichinose Honami.
"I hope so."
Ichinose Honami smiled gently.
Texas Hold'em—some say it's a game that tests both luck and mental fortitude.