Editing Masou Gakuen HxH:Volume 11 Third Period (section)

===Part 7===

After enjoying Sylvia thoroughly to their heart’s content, the four returned to their room.

They stayed inside the bath for very long, so they opened the window to cool down a bit. Refreshing breeze entered through the collar of their yukatas, cooling down their flushed body.

「Looks like there is still a bit of time until dinner.」

When Himekawa opened a conversation with that, Yurishia who was lying down on the sitting cushion on her side replied with a bit tired voice.

「How about taking a stroll nearby?」

「……Sylvia, cannot move desu.」

The British girl who was thoroughly toyed with was lying down limply on the table.

「Ahaha……forgive me, Sylvia-chan.」

Himekawa smiled apologetically and shrugged her shoulders.

Beside the table, Aine was rolling on the tatami mat.

「I guess……I too want to roll around for a while here.」

It was truly heaps of corpses all around. It really didn’t look like a scene of four girls of that age going on a trip.

Suddenly Sylvia raised her face.

「Then……how about we play cards or something desu?」

「Aah, we can do that inside the room. But, the essential card set is──」

Sylvia crawled on all fours and went towards the luggage, then she took out a card set from her bag.

「Your preparation is thorough isn’t it.」

Himekawa felt admiration to the thorough preparation of such Sylvia while at the same time thinking warmly of her.

Sylvia smiled embarrassedly and put the card box on the table. When Yurishia lifted her body, she took out the cards from the box and began to shuffle them lightly.

「What will we play? Blackjack? Or else baccarat?」

She suddenly mentioned somewhat unknown names, so Himekawa spontaneously faltered.

「Errr……it will be nice if it’s something with easy to understand rules if possible……Aine-san, is there a game that you know about?」

「This is the first time I touched playing cards like this.」

「……」

In the end, they played sevens.

Yurishia distributed the cards to everyone.

Himekawa played out the 7 of diamonds and hearts that were among her hand.

The order of playing out cards was Yurishia -> Sylvia -> Himekawa -> Aine.

──’But, it might not be bad to play a game with everyone. This is something like the basic of recreation. It feels like when I was a child, I made friends by doing something like this. With this, perhaps everyone can get along…….’

 

And then twenty minutes later.

 

「Who is it!? Who is the one that made it stop at 8!」

Himekawa’s angry yell resounded.

「I will understand if it’s stops at 10 or the face cards, but how can it stop at 8! We cannot progress like this! Who is it? Yurishia-san, is it you!?」

「It’s not me! Besides, there is no way anyone will answer if they are asked that question! Ah, I’m pass here.」

「Why did you pass!? Actually you have something that you can play out right!?」

「Rather than that it’s diamond 3! Who is it!? Stop screwing around and play it out already! The one who is doing such act with twisted spirit like this must be Hayuru isn’t it!?」

「I don’t want to be told that only by you!」

Murderous atmosphere.

Players imprisoned with paranoia that jumped at shadows.

A whirlpool of rage and hatred.

In this bloodthirsty battlefield, friendship, camaraderie, or trust didn’t exist.

There wasn’t a single comrade to be found here.

What one could trust was only oneself.

So to speak it was an alone and unassisted struggle.

Everyone other than oneself was an enemy.

「With this it’s a rise deesu!」

Spade 8 was played out with a wide smile.

「SYLVIA-CHAAAAANNNN! So, IT’S YOU AGAINNNNNNNN!」

Currently it’s the fourth game, everything was a complete victory for Sylvia.

Himekawa bit her lips in humiliation.

──’What strength. Her tactic is also magnificent, but above all else it’s that formidable luck……or rather, her luck is too strong! Just how much is she loved by god!?’

Aine clenched her fist tightly.

──’Kuh, why can’t I win!? This is just a game of playing out cards in order. Even if I try to stop her, I’ll lose cards that I can play out, but if I pass then I won’t be able to rise up……aah, geez-!’

Yurishia frowned in distress.

──’This is bad. At this rate it will end with complete victory for Sylvia, I won’t have any face left as her senior. If I don’t do something…….’

「Is something the matter desu? Let’s start the next game desu♪」

‘Don’t tell me she is holding a grudge because of the matter in the bath?’, such doubt was welling up inside the hearts of the three.

「The one at the bottom this time is Aine-san isn’t it? Please do the shuffle desu.」

「Eh, yes……」

Sylvia’s smile that was without cloudiness in it was terrifying.

*gogogogo* With such sound effect, a black aura was rising from Sylvia. A sensation as though there was a terrifying protective spirit standing behind her attacked everyone.

While Aine was shuffling the cards with inexperienced hands, Yurishia looked around at the hands of the four.

──It’s impossible to win by myself. I have no choice other than making a comrade.’

Looking back from the game progress until now, Aine was useless. If she was going to find the prospect for victory then──,

Her eyes met Himekawa at that timing.

「I’m going for a bit to the restroom. Hayuru, keep me company☆」

Himekawa felt somewhat uncomfortable when Yurishia winked at her while she stood up.

「Yes……I also wanted to go to the toilet so」

「Sylvia-chan, watch over Aine so she doesn’t cheat okay?」

「Roger desu.」

「What’s with that way of talking huh!」

 

And then five minutes later the battle resumed.

 

7 was played out. This time Aine had one 7, Sylvia had one, and Himekawa had two in a good omen. At this rate if she could continue playing out cards without pass, it would be Himekawa’s victory.

However, originally there was a tactic of making passes instead even when one had cards that could be played out. So to speak it was 『Stopping the card』. Doing that was for the sake of inviting the opponent’s self-destruction. When the opponent had no card that could be played out, as expected they would be unable to do anything except pass. In the game this time a player could only make three passes. More than that and it would be considered defeat.

Therefore, originally this was a game of picking the optimum method amidst that degree of freedom, but this time the circumstance was different.

Himekawa glanced at Yurishia who sat at her opposite side. Yurishia returned a signal with just her blinking.

──She would let Himekawa win.

That was the signal’s meaning.

The one with the most 7 from amidst the cards that were distributed at first, she would be the one that was prioritized. That was the agreement when she formed an alliance with Yurishia in the toilet.

In the end would Yurishia fulfill that promise?

Such thinking crossed Himekawa’s mind.

However, there was nothing she could do even if she thought it. At Sylvia’s blind spot, Himekawa put her elbow on the desk and rested her cheek on her hand, then she raised her fingertip. Aine was concentrating all her nerves at her hand and the cards on the desk, she had no leeway to look at Himekawa’s way.

Himekawa raised a finger. It was the signal for the topmost area on the desk. In this case it referred to the spades area. Next she raised three fingers, her pinkie, ring finger, and middle finger. That was the signal for 8.

If there was a spades 8 among Yurishia’s hand, she should play it out.

By the way if she raised her fingers from the thumb side, it was the signal for 1 until 5. If she raised her fingers from her pinky side, it was the signal from 6 until 9. In case of 10, she would clench her hand and twisted her wrist. In case of face cards, she would continue her wrist movement with 1 until 3 to designate the card.

And then it was Yurishia’s turn.

Spades 8 came out from Yurishia’s hand.

──’Good!’

Himekawa murmured inside her heart.

Like that the round was going along favorably, and Himekawa’s hand was decreasing until there were only three cards left in her hand. Sylvia had four cards left. Yurishia and Aine had six.

If she could leave them behind with this pace, it was her victory. But, there was a problem.

She already had no card that she could play out.

Himekawa’s hand consisted of queen of spades, diamonds 3, and ace of hearts.

At this endgame, the cards that remained in her hand were only the cards that were high in turn of order. The real match was from here on. Until just now Himekawa was putting a stop at clubs 9, but she had no other card she could play out so she used the card. Sylvia played out 10 after that, so she thought that it was a bit unfortunate but it couldn’t be helped.

So that she could play out her remaining cards, Spades 10 and jack, diamonds 4, and hearts 2 and 3 had to come out on the desk. She had came to this point without using pass at all, but at this rate she would be forced to use pass at her next turn. If Sylvia managed to keep playing out her cards without using pass, it would be the victory of Sylvia whose turn was in earlier order than Himekawa.

Sweat trickled damply on Himekawa’s back.

At that time, a devil whispered inside Himekawa’s heart.

‘You are going to lose’, the demon said.

Her body shivered from a chill.

Terror and despair towards defeat attacked Himekawa.

She was falling into illusion, as though the tatami she was sitting on, and also the desk the cards were put on, all of them were distorting flabbily like jelly that couldn’t be relied on.

Throughout the world it was only her alone who was sinking, swallowed into the darkness of dread.

An overwhelming sense of despair.

Her salvation was,

……none-!

She almost drowned into a vortex of defeat and resignation, it was at that moment──,

She could see light inside the darkness.

A golden radiance.

──Goddess?

It was a maiden with blonde hair that looked shining.

The blonde hair fluttered inside the darkness.

That radiance was the only torch that showed her the path she should advance through inside this jet black darkness.

It was her sole revelation, the only place she could lean on. The golden thread she ought to put her faith on.

──’That’s right.’

Light dwelled inside Himekawa’s eyes once more.

──I have earned even Yurishia-san’s cooperation after much pain, there is no way being unable to win can be forgiven! This is not a problem of just me alone. I and Yurishia-san……no, including Aine-san too we the three seniors fight with our dignity on the line. Losing is not permitted!’

A flame was blazing in her soul.

──’There surely will be a chance without fail. Something that will bring me victory!’

「aAAAAAAH! GEEZ-! I LOST AGAINNNNNN!」

Aine tossed away her cards.

──’It comes!

The groundwork for my path to victory!’

Aine’s defeat was set in stone with her fourth pass. And then Aine’s hand was put on the desk. If there was a diamonds 4 among Aine’s hand……!!

It was there.

──’Nice assist! Aine-san!’

Himekawa sent a thumbs up inside her heart toward Aine who was writhing on the tatami.

Sure enough at the path that stretched out from diamond 7, a bridge that connected toward diamond 3 in Himekawa’s hand was placed.

──But,

If, in the case that Sylvia had diamond 2 and ace of diamond, what then?

Was it fine for her to be in high spirits and played out her diamond 3 when her next turn came?

No, it was still too fast for her to be happy.

Among Aine’s hand there was spade 10 and heart 3. So that she could play out queen of spade and ace of heart inside her hand, one more card for each needed to be played out by the other first.

──’Calm down Hayuru.’

She mustn’t play out card that would give Sylvia advantage. The possibility of the cards that Sylvia had. The cards that she absolutely didn’t have, card that wouldn’t cause any influence toward anyone.

──’Then!’

Himekawa stared at the one who sat at her opposite side, the blonde haired goddess of victory.

While hearing the sound of her heart beat that was fiercely ringing inside, Himekawa questioned Yurishia using her fingertip.

Himekawa asked whether she had hearts 2.

Yurishia looked at her own hand and the table alternately, and continued making expression of worry. And then, her beautiful white fingertip elegantly picked a card, and threw it on the table.

With a flutter, that card fell beside hearts 3.

──’Hearts 2.’

Himekawa desperately endeavored herself so that her expression wouldn’t change. Inside her heart, she was embracing her gratitude toward her comrade.

「Then, Sylvia will use this desu.」

Clubs 3.

It was a card that didn’t affect Himekawa.

And then, Himekawa played out her ace of hearts.

Two card remained.

Next she wanted to play her queen of spades. The king of spades had been put on the table from Aine’s hand, so this card was a safe one. Conversely there was a possibility that Sylvia had diamonds 2.

Himekawa asked Yurishia.

Jack of spades.

Yurishia bit her finger with the same pondering face like before. Throughout this game Yurishia was making a difficult expression all along. It was Yurishia’s poker face, her acting.

And then the card that Yurishia played out was,

──Jack of clubs.

Himekawa received a shock.

This was, what in the world……could it be, Yurishia mistook her sign? Or perhaps she misunderstood? Or else……!?

A devil crept near below Himekawa once more.

──’No, I believe Yurishia-san! The fight is not over yet!’

The next card of Sylvia.

Seeing how Yurishia didn’t have it, that meant jack of spades was among Sylvia’s hand.

Sylvia’s small hand wandered above her three cards. And then her pink nails of her fingertips chose one card.

That card was put on the table. It was,

──’Jack of spades!!’

Himekawa released a sigh of relief and pulled out one card from her two cards.

That was the card of victory, queen of spades.

The one that dealt the finishing blow to the enemy, the queen of swords(spades).

At this moment, Himekawa’s victory was a sure thing.