Editing Kakegurui Trip Fulltext (section)

==Chapter 2, part 1==

Ryouran Island was developed around the pier with the majority of it's natural forest left untouched. What immediately caught the eye was a single, steep hill on the far side of it. It was like a tall, green wall in the distance. The island was small and you could probably cycle around it in less than an hour.
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We arrived and set foot on the pier. It was just as refreshing as being on the ship but the sounds were differed. There were squawking seagulls everywhere and the waves were breaching onto the coast. On the path forward was a huge gate, decorated with colorful flower-like ornaments. It was as if we were entering a theme park, rather than a resort. The real Las Vegas is not an island, so it made sense they went with a differed aesthetic here. I'm sure they wanted it to be just as as glamorous, though.<br>
Staff were waiting for us at the gate. As we passed underneath it, each of us received a necklace woven from plumeria flowers. You could see the excitement in people growing as the ornament was placed around their necks.
A cobblestone path was leading us further into the island. Taking it was the only choice as everything else was covered with a dense forest.
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''"Mary-san, Suzui-san! What a lovely place this is! You think the hotel is far away?"'' Yumeko said while rushing ahead with impatience.
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''"Watch where you're going and take it easy!"'', I shouted to her. ''"The linen room is waiting for you there, remember?!"''
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As I was following the path, I started wondering what our plans were. Mary strolled along next to me, clearly not in a good mood even though she was not the one who lost. It was a sign that she truly saw Yumeko as a friend and was unhappy about the treatment she received.
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What should I say to Yumeko? Obviously she didn't win every gamble since she joined the school, but that was not what she wanted anyway. Dragging her opponents out of their comfort zone into a bet they could not afford to lose is what she was going for. With that in mind, the quick and decisive loss to Kifune was probably most unsatisfying. She didn't show any signs of being bothered with it now, but I'm sure she did not really forget. 
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I gathered my thoughts and picked up the pace. ''"Hey, can I ask you something?"'', I said when I caught up to Yumeko. 
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''"Sure, what is it?"'', Yumeko answered, looking around nervously. 
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''"After the game with Kifune-san, you said 'I see how it is'. What did you mean by that?"'', I asked. 
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''"Oh, that? I meant the cheat"'', Yumeko replied.
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''"So the game actually was rigged"'', I said with a sigh. 
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''"It sure was! There's nothing I can do about it now, though"'', Yumeko said cheerfully.
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''"Wait! What?!"'', Mary said as she was catching up to us.
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''"I was the one to chose the girl, so it's unlikely she was co-opted"'', Yumeko began explaining. ''"In addition, I kept a close eye on Kifune-san for anything suspicious, but didn't spot it. So... that leaves only one person to execute the trick. The thermal cup the girl received didn't give away it's contents or the temperature of it. She would have thought it was what she ordered, regardless of what was actually in it."''
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''"Ah! I get it now"'', Mary said. ''"The cup was taken from the girl and a replacement was handed to her immediately. The replacement contained her actual order while the original could have been anything. I'm sure Kifune instructed the bartender to pour café au lait in a thermal cup for anyone when he heard or saw some signal, while preparing the actual order on the side in the same kind of cup. And then the switch happened for all of us to see!"''
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''"Well, there's a possibility that the girl actually did want milky coffee. We could have asked her then, but we didn't"'', Yumeko said without showing regret.
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''"Why didn't you expose the cheat then and there?!"'', Mary shouted. 
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''"By the time it clicked for me, the girl was already gone. It would have been a bother to go looking for her"'', Yumeko replied with the same carefree attitude.
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''"Why do you act like you are okay with this?! This pisses me off so much!"'', Mary shouted again while waving her arms and looking for some outlet for her frustration.
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''"Something just occurred to me"'', I said.
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''"Yes?"'', Mary mumbled while adjusting the nylon bag on her shoulder. It held her overnight luggage.
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''"Kifune Izayoi used to be a housepet. Back on the ship she was humiliating Yumeko, or all of us rather, for having been one too. That makes it a case of self-loathing. She had the miserable experience and overcame it. Now she hates anyone who did the same somehow, while having a lot of pride at the same time"'', I explained.<br>
''"She is not from a wealthy family and got in dept pretty quickly after enrolling. After becoming a Mittens, she somehow joined the Kansankai and rose in ranks, losing the housepet tag along the way. She took control of the organization and made it a lot more profitable by focusing on the casino. It was quite an impressive feat from what I heard."'' Mary was listening to me in silence while Yumeko ran ahead again. 
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''"This was the year before I enrolled"'', I continued.<br>
''"If Kifune-san is such a shrewd operator, it kinda makes you wonder how she became a housepet in the first place. The newfound Kansankai profits are not free however. Large loans were needed to invest in the casino. So even if things seem stable, there may be not much room for error."''
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The sun was setting and I only noticed it now. The cobblestone path became darker and dusk was on the way.
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''"Hey you two, walk faster! I have to play at the casino tonight! Don't make me abandon you!"'', Yumeko shouted from up ahead. She cupped her hands in front of her mouth to amplify her voice.
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''"She's hopeless"'', Mary sighed and puffed out air from her cheeks. I chuckled a little.
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Yumeko was standing in front of a large building. It was the resort hotel where we were staying for two nights. The architecture was inspired. A white front wall formed a semi-circle that looked clean and welcoming. It was as if it was guiding guests to the fountain in the middle and the entrance behind it. The fountain was operational and shot water high into the air, cooling the surroundings.
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''"We're coming!"'', I shouted back to Yumeko, making the same megaphone gesture.
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So here we are. At the hotel with the casino, where hundreds of us are going to gamble during this school camp. Hyakkaou Private Academy is a truly abnormal place and it has many extraordinary students. Kifune is undoubtedly among the most talented. 
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