After Sachiko Juraku returned to her seat on the corner sofa, Mikura stood between the two and spoke.
"While I was away, none of you made any small moves, right?"
Kamishita Nagi quickly replied with a smile: "Of course not, we didn't even exchange a single word."
Ayanokoji did not answer, effectively agreeing.
Kamishita Nagi's surrender offer was like "trash talk," meant to mess with people's minds, so there was no need to repeat it; it was as if he hadn't said it.
Mikura didn't mind and continued: "Before the competition, according to the rules, both of you need to place your bets. After betting, you choose to call, raise, or fold."
She paused, then continued: "Ayanokoji, as the challenger, is the Dealer in this gamble. In the first round, he will bet first, and in the second round, Kamishita Nagi, you will bet. This will continue in a cycle… Do either of you have any objections?"
"Of course not," Kamishita Nagi said with a smile.
What Mikura said was quite fair. Not only did Kamishita Nagi accept it, but even Meari, Ibuki Jotaro, and others watching from the side nodded silently, agreeing that there was no problem.
Mikura divided the ten chips into two portions and placed them in front of each of them: "These are your chips. Please check them."
She had picked these up from the Chemistry Preparation Room next door. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka naturally had no issues, and Kamishita Nagi also nodded after checking them.
"Alright, since neither of you has any objections, the competition officially begins."
Mikura, as the Dealer, calmly announced: "First round, please select your respective Tetra."
The Tetra in their hands were not arranged in order but were divided into five stacks. In each round, they would select the combination they wished to play.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Kamishita Nagi both selected a set from their Tetra and pushed them to the middle of the table.
"Ayanokoji, it's your turn to bet now," Mikura said.
Under everyone's gaze, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka directly said: "...I bet five chips."
The few onlookers immediately burst into an uproar.
Ayanokoji and Kamishita Nagi only had five chips each in their hands. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had gone all in directly in the first round!
Meari and the others had discussed the rules during the few minutes they spent in the Chemistry Preparation Room next door.
They brainstormed, and with Meari, a top student who was very sensitive to mathematics, they quickly came up with the "best match."
One Blackjack, three 21 points, plus one 11 points—this was the best combination, they all believed, and even Ibuki Jotaro beside them thought so, nodding in agreement.
Togakushi Yukimi said worriedly: "I believe in Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. He can definitely make the best match, but going all in directly in the first round… Could it be that he's betting on 'Blackjack' in the first round?"
To decide the winner in the first round? Wasn't this a bit too bold?
"What if Kamishita Nagi retreats directly at this point?" Hanatemari asked worriedly.
Kurume Laiwei crossed her arms and stated with certainty: "If I were Kamishita Nagi, I would discard a chip and choose to fold at this point. Although I would lose one chip, I would be able to counter Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's Blackjack. This would be the best choice."
Meari, with a calm expression, offered another opinion.
"Ayanokoji might not necessarily play Blackjack, right? What if his Tetra is 21 points, and he's just using an all-in to 'bluff'?"
Using 21 points to "bluff"? Deliberately putting on a show to make Kamishita Nagi discard a card?
This idea was not bad, but… wasn't Ayanokoji Kiyotaka worried that Kamishita Nagi would play "Blackjack" in the first round and end the game right away?
Everyone looked at Kamishita Nagi, wanting to see how he would react.
The girls were some distance from the gambling table, and their voices were not loud, so they weren't worried about their discussion reaching Kamishita Nagi's ears.
At this moment, Kamishita Nagi, who was sitting opposite Ayanokoji, actually started to laugh: "Ayanokoji, you really don't put me in your eyes. I didn't expect you to be even more arrogant than me. Aren't you really worried that my Tetra is Blackjack?"
"If it is, then I lose. Don't try to trick me into talking. Alright, how do you want to choose?" Ayanokoji replied unhurriedly, without any expression on his face, making it impossible for Kamishita Nagi to glean any information from his expression.
"...I'm the same as you. I'm also going all in."
Kamishita Nagi smiled boldly and pushed his five chips forward.
The situation determining the fate of forty million became heated in the first round.
"They won't decide the winner in the first round, will they…?"
Kurume clicked her tongue, guessing uncertainly: "Kamishita Nagi followed the bet with such confidence. Could it be that his first set of Tetra is also Blackjack?"
So, would the first round end in a draw?
Everyone had this question in their minds, and Sado Mikura, as the Dealer, did not let their questions linger for long.
"Both sides have finished betting. No one chose to fold. Now, I will reveal the Tetra."
Mikura said, bending down in front of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and first turning over the Tetra in front of him—5, 6, Q.
21 points.
"So Ayanokoji's Tetra wasn't Blackjack… Then, will Kamishita Nagi's Tetra be Blackjack?" Hanatemari Kazura became nervous, her expression flustered.
Meari placed her hand on her shoulder, patting it comfortingly, and said with a firm tone: "Don't worry, absolutely not."
"If Kamishita Nagi's Tetra was Blackjack, he would absolutely go all in without hesitation, instead of rambling on with Ayanokoji."
Meari's guess was quickly confirmed. Kamishita Nagi's Tetra was immediately turned over by Mikura—4, 7, 10.
21 points.
"Both sides have the same score, 21 points. This round is a draw. Both of you take back your chips."
Mikura announced.
Upon seeing this result, Kamishita Nagi outwardly displayed a confident smile, as if everything was under control, as he took back the five chips in front of him, but in reality, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Most people would throw down one chip in the first round to test the waters, but Ayanokoji Kiyotaka completely disregarded the rules and went all in directly.
Fortunately, he was bold and meticulous, believing that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka would absolutely not play Blackjack in the first round, and he also followed suit by going all in.
If it were someone timid, they would truly be intimidated by this momentum and would have thrown down a chip.
However… it really gave him a fright. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka dared to do such a thing. Wasn't he afraid that he would use Blackjack in the first round?
As expected of the person Mibuomi-sama specifically instructed not to antagonize. At least in terms of courage, he was not inferior to himself.
Kamishita Nagi secretly admired his opponent.
He was not the kind of person who dogmatically believed "I am the best in the world." He could see that Ayanokoji was a formidable opponent and was willing to acknowledge that.
However, he had not lost confidence; on the contrary, his fighting spirit was even more invigorated.
Although he had won a lot in gambling, most of the time he won games through "cheating."
But only this game, he won through his true skill, and he had never been defeated.
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