Kakegurui Trip Fulltext
Table of contents
- Preface
- Prologue
- Chapter 1: The Ryouran Island Summer Camp
- Chapter 2: Casino Dominium
- Chapter 3: The Beach and the Ace
- Chapter 4: The Poker Tournament
- Chapter 5: The Reason for Living
- Final Chapter
- Afterwords
- Credits
Preface
Note from the translator
In the world of Kakegurui there is no magic or science fiction. Things are however far from mundane. The social norms on some issues are utterly nuts. Anyone familiar with the manga or anime knows this. I thought it's best to mention it here anyway, for the benefit of any unsuspecting readers.
I've preserved the Japanese spoken politeness rules for names in the same way the official manga translation does. Adding the honorific '-san' to a name is casually polite. Using '-sama' instead is more formally polite. Being friends does not automatically mean you call each other by your first names or drop the honorifics.
There are poker games in this novel. The table of contents spoiled that for you already. I've added a poker hand ranking chart on the next page. This allowed me to shorten some explanations, making things not too drawn out for readers who are already familiar with the game.
Please, keep in mind this is a fan translation. I'm not a professional writer and nobody paid me to do this. I hope you enjoy the novel.
Poker hand ranking (worst to best)
- K♥ J♠ 10♣ 7♦ 5♥ High Card; Also called 'trash' or 'no hand'. There is no combination. The lone highest ranked card (a king in this case) faces off against the high card of other players if they also have no combination. The Japanese call high card a 'pig'
- 9♥ 9♠ 7♣ 7♠ J♥ Pairs; Two cards of the same rank is a pair and defeat any high card. Two pairs defeat any single pair.
- 5♥ 5♠ 5♣ A♦ K♦ Three of a kind; Three cards of the same rank are better than pairs.
- Q♥ J♠ 10♠ 9♥ 8♦ Straight; Five cards of consecutive rank. J, Q and K count as 11, 12 and 13 respectively. The ace can serve as both 14 and 1.
- A♦ Q♦ 8♦ 6♦ 4♦ Flush; Any five cards of the same suit (diamonds in this case).
- 6♥ 6♣ 6♦ Q♣ Q♦ Full house; A three-of-a-kind and a pair.
- 4♥ 4♠ 4♣ 4♦ 7♠ Four of a kind; Four cards of the same rank.
- J♠ 10♠ 9♠ 8♠ 7♠ Straight Flush; A straight that is also a flush. The best possible straight flush (A, K, Q, J, 10) is called a royal flush.
Prologue
Hyakkaou Private Academy is a very prestigious, reputable, 122 year old school. Many of the children here are those of influential people in politics and business. My parents aren't wealthy and worked hard to get me here. They always avoided showing that they were struggling and preferred to proudly smile. I enrolled here with high hopes. My goal is to make it big in life and make my parents proud.
"Mittens! Go get me a sandwich from the cafeteria! The usual one. Hurry up!"
I was hit from the side and fell to the classroom floor. The girls who had been my friendly classmates just a few days ago were now kicking me while smiling. As the pain got worse, all I could do was groan.
"Y-yes... I'll go now..."
If I didn't answer immediately, I'd be kicked again. They don't see me as a human being now. I'm like livestock to them.
A class system exists at this school and it's a pretty simple one. There are two types of people; the oppressors and the oppressed. The powerful student council collects, supposedly voluntary, payments from everybody. Then the students are ranked based on how much they paid. If you are unlucky enough to be in the bottom 100, you become a housepet. Instead of using your name, other students will call you Fido if you are boy and Mittens if you are a girl. You essentially lose your human rights, becoming a servant and punching bag.
I stumble to the cafeteria while clutching my stomach. A tag hangs around my neck. I'm required to wear it so that everyone can see I'm a Mittens. Students I pass, glance at me in disgust as if I'm a dirty, stray, city cat. Occasionally, some show pity, but don't help. Being friendly with housepets can isolate you socially even if you are not one of them. You will be seen as a freak for being generous to the downtrodden. That's how the culture is here.
I stumble to the cafeteria while clutching my stomach. A tag hangs around my neck. I'm required to wear it so that everyone can see I'm a Mittens. Students I pass, glance at me in disgust as if I'm a dirty, stray, city cat. Occasionally, some show pity, but don't help. Being friendly with housepets can isolate you socially even if you are not one of them. You will be seen as a freak for being generous to the downtrodden. That's how the culture is here.
The voluntary payments to the student council are not voluntary at all. Even the most iron-willed would eventually break down and pay up, if they had the money. Being officially marked as sub-human is too much of a burden to bear. It's way easier to pay and be on the side of the oppressors.
The tribute money is not an amount that can easily be earned with part-time jobs. If your parents are rich, you can ask them for it. However, if you are like me and were fooling enough to enroll into this school with modest means, money will be a problem.
This talk about money brings us to another remarkable thing about this school; the gambling. It's openly permitted, endorsed and overseen by the student council. Some only dabble in it during breaks while others specialize in certain games as a club activity. Then there are the ones who run the gambling dens and profit from all the action. Not participating is also an option but doing so means your student council tribute money has to come from elsewhere.
Nobody here cares if you study well or excel at sports. Things like that don't matter to those who one day end up in power. What the elites need is negotiation skills, mind reading and performance under stress. Those are all things learned by gambling.
Nobody here cares if you study well or excel at sports. Things like that don't matter to those who one day end up in power. What the elites need is negotiation skills, mind reading and performance under stress. Those are all things learned by gambling.
I lost a bet and with it my human dignity. Just like the others who aren't rich or good at gambling.
My parents didn't know how normal the abnormal is at this school. You would say the best course of action is to transfer out of this place as soon as possible, but I can't bring myself to do that. It would mean admitting defeat and disappointing my parents. Their hard work needs to pay off.
"I need money", I told myself as I squeezed the housepet tag in my fist. "I'll get my hands on a mountain of it, secure my future and run this place. The sleazy rich kinds and dead-eyed slaves will all bow to me one day."